On Wednesday, New York governor Kathy Hochul shocked the state and the country when she announced she would indefinitely shelve New York City’s long-in-development congestion pricing scheme. The policy, in the works since 2007 and set to begin in just three weeks, was designed to relieve car traffic, curb road …
Read More »How Many Charging Stations Would We Need to Totally Replace Gas Stations?
Buyers curious about making the switch to electric vehicles have made it clear in survey after survey after survey: Charging kind of freaks them out. In many ways, drivers report, owning an EV is the same if not better than owning a gas-powered car. But fueling an electric vehicle is …
Read More »As Questions Swirl Around Tesla’s Superchargers, the Race Is On to Fill the Power Gap
In a move that shocked the electric vehicle industry, Tesla yesterday eliminated the jobs of hundreds of employees in its electric vehicle charging and policy units—workers widely reputed to be best-in-class in a rapidly expanding global business. Among those surprised and disappointed: Adam Gordon, managing partner of the New York …
Read More »Luxury Airbnb High-Rises Are Reshaping Miami’s Skyline
West Eleventh residences, a luxury building in downtown Miami slated to break ground this summer, promises “endless indulgences.” It will feature an entertainment center, food hall, and a resort pool with private lounges—no amenity is spared. But these condos are designed to lure more than just Miami residents. The tower …
Read More »No, Dubai’s Floods Weren’t Caused by Cloud Seeding
Dubai is underwater. Heavy storms have caused flash flooding across the United Arab Emirates, leading to shocking scenes circulating on social media: Cars abandoned by the roadside, planes sloshing through flooded runways. Hundreds of flights have been canceled at Dubai’s busy international airport, and at least 18 people have died …
Read More »US Infrastructure Is Broken. Here’s an $830 Million Plan to Fix It
There’s one word that will get any American fuming, regardless of their political inclination: infrastructure. Pothole-pocked roads, creaky bridges, and half-baked public transportation bind us nationally like little else can. And that was before climate change’s coastal flooding, extreme heat, and supercharged wildfires came around to make things even worse. …
Read More »San Francisco’s Train System Still Uses Floppy Disks—and Will for Years
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which runs the city's Muni Metro light rail, claims to be the first US agency to adopt floppy disks. But today, the SFMTA is eager to abandon its reliance on 5¼-inch floppy disks—just give it about six years and a few hundred million dollars …
Read More »Mexico City’s Metro System Is Sinking Fast. Yours Could Be Next
With its expanse of buildings and concrete, Mexico City may not look squishy—but it is. Ever since the Spanish conquistadors drained Lake Texcoco to make way for more urbanization, the land has been gradually compacting under the weight. It’s a phenomenon known as subsidence, and the result is grim: Mexico …
Read More »A Ghost Ship’s Doomed Journey Through the Gate of Tears
The ballistic missile hit the Rubymar on the evening of February 18. For months, the cargo ship had been shuttling around the Arabian Sea, uneventfully calling at local ports. But now, taking on water in the bottleneck of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, its two dozen crew issued an urgent call for …
Read More »Cities Aren’t Prepared for a Crucial Part of Sea Level Rise: They’re Also Sinking
Fighting off rising seas without reducing humanity’s carbon emissions is like trying to drain a bathtub without turning off the tap. But increasingly, scientists are sounding the alarm on yet another problem compounding the crisis for coastal cities: Their land is also sinking, a phenomenon known as subsidence. The metaphorical …
Read More »