UN solution for CO2 -- better cars

Zero-emission automobiles, of course, do not and cannot ever exist. 

All automobiles require fuel, and even solar panels, wind turbines, hydro-electric dams, and nuclear power plants produce GHG emissions in their construction and maintenance. The emissions, in these minor examples as well as in the coal and natural gas plants that are the major sources of “EV” power, merely occur at locations other than a tailpipe. But occur they most certainly still do, despite automakers’ labels suggesting otherwise. Shame on the United Nations for missing and obscuring this crucial fact.

https://www.deathbycar.info/gaps-indeed/ 

Deepwater oil/gas projects hit a record 10m boe/d

woodmac.com

Global CO2 emissions growth accelerating, not declining

Global energy-related CO2 emissions grew 1.7% in 2018 to reach a historic high of 33.1 Gt CO2. It was the highest rate of growth since 2013, and 70% higher than the average increase since 2010. Last year's growth of 560 Mt was equivalent to the total emissions from international aviation.

https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-and-co2-status-report-2019/emissions? 

Candidates for office responding to demands for fare-free public transport

Public transit should be free.

The fact that it's not is a policy choice. We choose to prioritize cars & spend money cracking down on fare evasion. This worsens carbon emissions & hurts the poor.

Public transit should be free.

— Mckayla Wilkes for Congress (@MeetMckayla) December 26, 2019

Garrett's Constant shows economics inextricably linked to physics

The existence of a mathematical “constant” tying society to physics offers a critical piece of the human puzzle: economic wealth is inseparable from energy consumption; any diminished capacity to recover the energy necessary to maintain the steady hive of civilization must lead to economic collapse. If for whatever reason we fail to adequately fuel ourselves, we can expect the cyclic motions of our machines and ourselves to slowly grind to a halt. Our interest in crypto-currency or the auction price of a self-destructing Banksy will be replaced by more primal values like having a can-owner for opening a can of Spam. In the logical extreme, with an absence of food, we will wither and die, with all our perceptions of economic worth buried along with us.

http://nephologue.blogspot.com/2019/12/economic-growth-engine-of-collapse.html 

#freetransit is popular to reduce collisions during the holidays

But how much could it save in collisions throughout the year?



100-vehicle pileup on snow-covered highway - who pays for this? https://sprawlsubsidy.blogspot.com/2018/02/100-vehicle-pileup-on-snow-covered.html?

...a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It found, among other things, that the annual cost of car crashes in 2010 was $871 billion

https://sprawlsubsidy.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-high-cost-of-cheap-auto-insurance.html?

Cost of auto collisions $900, cost of #freetransit $100. (per household per year)

https://sprawlsubsidy.blogspot.com/2014/05/cost-of-auto-collisions-900-cost-of.html?

Cost of #autosprawl, your life! 

https://sprawlsubsidy.blogspot.com/2014/04/cost-of-autosprawl-your-life.html?

How we subsidize the car -- cost of road collisions 

https://sprawlsubsidy.blogspot.com/2014/02/how-we-subsidize-car-cost-of-road.html?

Are you tired of trolls trashing #freetransit?

The physics, the economics, and common sense, are all on the side of fare-free public transit.

We take on the trolls. We will not back down or compromise.

Don't underestimate trolls, or our commitment to expose them. They are paid, directly or indirectly. Because of this, they will not tire. It's their personal survival vs survival of the human race.

We work for free. We need your help. It's easy to blog for #freetransit. No commitment, no pressure, (also no pay). Contact us at fpteditors at gmail. We will provide all the help you need to become a successful blogger.

Miami-Dade Commissioner calls for fare-free #publictransit, #freepublictransit

 

@XavierLSuarez1

“It is time for Miami-Dade County to come into the 21st Century and provide fare-free public transportation,” Mr. Suarez said in a Dec. 15 press note. “Given the fact that total revenues from buses and Metrorail barely exceed $100 million, which is less than 2% of the operating budget for the county, the time has come to induce the use of mass transit by any and all means.”

https://www.miamitodaynews.com/2019/12/17/all-free-miami-dade-transit-is-answer-xavier-suarez-says/ 

Fares are for rationing, not revenue

Here is more evidence that fares are for rationing, not revenue. Fares are user-fees. User fees are a device to prevent overuse of misuse of a service. Sometimes user-fees are useful and necessary to ensure that a public service accomplishes its goal. In public transit, the goal should be to increase ridership, as that lowers the unit cost and gives a better return on the public investment.

Evidence from Edmonton’s previous fare increases demonstrates that raising fares to fund the system prices people out of using the service. The City’s own numbers show that the last time they raised fares in 2016, the city estimated that over 400,000 fewer rides would be taken and their projections show that an additional increase to $4 in 2021 from the current rate would decrease yearly rides by 280,000. 

In a city that already suffers from chronically low mode share for transit, this is not just counterintuitive, it’s setting us up to fail on increasing ridership and decreasing emissions. 

Edmontonians deserve a transit system that they can rely on. As we move towards a just, green future, let’s make fare-free transit the reliable, accessible option.

https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-make-transit-free-for-the-sake-of-our-climate-and-community 

How to move people - reform or revolution?

Regarding moving people, what is the most critical need? Not cheap oil, not lithium, no. The most critical need in moving people, is activist energy.

Many high-profile people are calling for "fix it first." They say we cannot have fare-free public transit until we have good public transit.

When we limit ourselves to trying to improve something big, like the system that moves people, we are subject to endless division and delay over who gets what and when. What bus line will be expanded, where will light rail go? We have seen these things divide communities and bring fixes to a snail pace.

We need a revolution in thinking about how we move people. We need a mass campaign for free public transit. People will vote with their seat, and it will become obvious where more service is needed.

Let's not waste our activist energy on trimming around the edges.

Another domino falls -- Calais, France adopts #freepublictransport

Les Calaisiens trouvent le carburant trop cher ? Entendu, l’agglo se donne un an pour leur faire préférer le bus.

100 000 habitants sans ticket. Les maires des dix communes de l’agglomération de Calais se sont réunis et ont voté à l’unanimité la gratuité des bus. Elle sera actée sur tout le réseau avant 2020. Aujourd’hui, l’abonnement mensuel coûte une quinzaine d’euros. Demain, on montera sans débourser un centime.

google translate:

Calais residents find fuel too expensive? Understood, the agglo gives itself a year to make them prefer the bus. 

100,000 inhabitants without a ticket. The mayors of the ten municipalities of the agglomeration of Calais met and voted unanimously for free buses. It will be implemented on the entire network before 2020. Today, the monthly subscription costs around fifteen euros. Tomorrow we will go up without paying a dime.

https://detours.canal.fr/apres-dunkerque-calais-passe-aux-bus-gratuits/? 

Fix it first, or rather, go back to begging for a fix -- latest oil-troll gambit

"If transit is free, but it doesn't take you where you need to go (or on time), it isn't an alternative to driving. We must expand + complete our transit network, and we need higher frequencies and much higher reliability (esp. on bus routes) to make it an option for more people." -- Jennifer Keesmaat on Twitter

https://twitter.com/jen_keesmaat/status/1204933981193375744

This is the latest and greatest from oil-auto-sprawl trolls. They want us to forget history. History shows that in spite of 100 years of fighting for better public transit it has only gotten worse compared to the growth of cars and sprawl. And how could it do otherwise, given the billions in subsidy to sprawl.

These trolls hope we will go back to spending 20 years fighting to stop a parking lot and put in bus shelters. 

We will not go back to begging. Free transit is coming and the idea is spreading and will continue.

Duluth MN, to spend $2.2 million on fareboxes

The new fare system will cost $2.2 million in total, with $440,000 being paid out of the DTA’s property tax levy fund. No timeline has been established for completing the project.

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/business/4429070-dta-gets-18-million-grant-upgrade-fare-collection 

Excellent documentary on how US streetcar system was deliberately destroyed

WARNING - Prepare for counter attack against #freepublictransit

Production of US oil has been burning through borrowed money. World-wide sagging economies are putting downward pressure on oil price. For banks, this is a very serious situation. Every drop of oil in the ground is leveraged out many times.

A mass conversion to fare-free urban public transport is a threat to oil creditors. They will surely mobilize their trolls and attack viciously.

In addition there are millions of people who depend on sprawl subsidy for their profits. Cement, natural gas, appliances, DIY stores, home construction, and many more depend on sprawl and growth. They will strike back hard to keep their subsidies and profits.

As soon as the Kansas City success euphoria cools, they will surely start attacking.

Heroic Kansas City Mayor risks career to help poor and working class people

 @MayorLucasKC

Lawmakers in Kansas City, Missouri took a "visionary step" on Thursday by unanimously voting to make public transportation in the city free of charge, setting the stage for it to be the first major U.S. city to have free public transit.

Car dependency a crushing weight on the backs of poor people

In The Appeal: Political Report in April, Daniel Nichanian wrote about obstacles to mobility for people living in North Carolina. Driver’s licenses were revoked for 1.2 million people in the state for failing to pay court fees and fines, without any opportunity to demonstrate their inability to pay. The inability to legally drive, in a state with poor transit options, can have disastrous consequences for people’s access to employment and make the same fees and fines that led to their license suspension even more impossible to pay. 

Nichanian wrote: “Poor transportation, whether it stems from difficulties in acquiring a car or accessing transit, can harm the reentry of people who are involved in the criminal legal system, independently of whether they are eligible to have a driver’s license.” This also underscored “the pernicious nature of ideas like a New York proposal to ban people from using the subway for life if they have been convicted of certain offenses.”

https://theappeal.org/kansas-city-chooses-free-public-transit/ 

Oil desperate for customers as demand projections not being met

The Head of Oil Market Research at Rystad Energy, Bjørnar Tonhaugen, said, “We have a clear message to the OPEC+ countries: A ‘roll-over’ of the current production agreement is not enough to preserve a balanced market and ensure a stable oil price environment in 2020.
“The outlook will be bleak if OPEC+ fails to agree on additional cuts.”
According to Rystad Energy’s estimates, the global oil market will be fundamentally oversupplied to the tune of 0.8 million barrels per day in the first half of 2020.
“If OPEC and Russia don’t extend and deepen their cuts, we could see Brent Blend dip to the $40s next year for a shorter period,” Tonhaugen said.
“In order to ensure a balanced market, our research indicates that OPEC would need to reduce crude production to 28.9 million bpd – a drop of 0.8 million bpd from the level seen in the fourth quarter of 2019-levels – given our forecast for demand, non-OPEC supply and the impact of new IMO 2020 regulations on global crude runs,” Tonhaugen added.

https://punchng.com/oil-may-fall-to-40-experts-warn-opec/

Kansas City domino falls, now has fare-free public transit

Today, Kansas City became the first major American city to have fare-free public transit.

https://www.435mag.com/kansas-city-becomes-first-major-american-city-with-universal-fare-free-public-transit/? 

Fight back against trolls and provocateurs - reframe and mute

The oil industry is desperate for customers, the massive oil-auto-sprawl system is collapsing. They pay trolls and provocateurs to stop efforts to implement fare-free public transit.

How to fight back.

First - reframe the debate. They want to restrict discussion to accounting, saying fare is revenue and needed for expense, or taxes have to go up. Instead let's talk about the costs of the current system and how free transit will reduce them more than lost fares. Here are places to get data on oil-auto-sprawl subsidy:

https://sprawlsubsidy.blogspot.com/

http://freepublictransit.org/Externalities.php

Second - use the mute button. Trolls want to sealion you. That means to drag you down into endless non-sequiturs. Provocateurs want you to run out and get arrested. Don't argue, give one reply if you want, then mute.

For more about trolls and provocateurs click here

Concordia Newspaper makes the case for fare-free public transportation

On Tuesday, several climate groups held a protest to promote the elimination of transit fares, citing the need for radical action in the fight against climate change. 

Bold action and unprecedented public investment are necessary to limit catastrophic global warming, but the reasons this proposal makes sense go beyond climate considerations. 

As the organizers noted, free public transport would also have the effect of reducing income inequality, a major issue of our time. Not only this, but it would eliminate the need for problematic fare policing and promote more liveable cities by taking cars off the road.

thelinknewspaper.ca 

Official world debt is $255 Trillion, falling oil demand a huge fear

Since 2005 there has not been a good price for oil. Any price is too high for consumers or too low for producers. Oil is NOT a commodity. It runs through every transaction in the economy. Without oil, there is no transport, without transport there is no economy.

All oil in the ground is borrowed against, and in many cases re-hyphothecated. Shale in the US is collapsing after running negative cash-flow for ten years. Why so much debt? Because the oil industry is more than rigs and tankers, it is roads, highways, suburbs, cul-de-sacs, DIY stores, ... in other words, sprawl. There is no quick way to get out of this commitment to hard assets.

Hard assets can not be allowed to run at a low percentage. They have to keep pumping and burning or else take huge losses.

Oil industry now is desperate for customers.

Hannover, Germany, 60% ridership increase in #freetransit test

According to initial findings, a good 60 percent more passengers would have used public transport than on another Saturday in the fall, according to Ustra's CEO Volkhardt KlOppner. 

https://www.en24.news/en/2019/12/01/free-public-transport-60-percent-more-passengers-ndr-de-news-lower-saxony.html