Publications Catalog 1993 - Energy, Transportation, Global WarmingPublications Catalog 1993 - Energy, Transportation, Global WarmingCar Trouble chronicles our longstanding love affair with the automobile and shows the changes--most of them for the worse--that motor vehicles have wrought upon the world. From devastating oil spills to rush hour traffic jams, to health-threatening air pollution and the prospect of global climate change, Car Trouble sheds new light on the environmental, economic, health, and security problems posed by our car-dominated transportation system and its projected growth.
The authors review the technical options for clearing the air and the streets--better engines and cars, cleaner fuels, more intelligent city planning, among others. "Quick fixes" offer short-term solutions, but the authors show that what is really needed are fundamental changes in the way we think about transportation in general and the automobile in particular. This fascinating analysis of a long-overdue transportation revolution makes equally good bedside or classroom reading.
Steven Nadis is a science journalist. James MacKenzie is a Senior Associate in WRI's Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program.
1993
229 pages, paperback
ISBN 0-8070-8523-5
Order Code MACTP, $12.00
Published by Beacon Press. Bookstores and wholesalers should order directly from the publisher.
Despite continued improvements in emission controls and fuel efficiency, conventionally powered cars and trucks still pose major risks related to air pollution, oil imports, and greenhouse warming. In this provocative report, Dr. MacKenzie explains in detail why the most promising way to tackle these difficult problems is through the development of radically different kinds of motor-vehicle propulsion systems.
Outlining the problems of conventional vehicles, the author shows why many of the so-called "alternative" fuels will fail to solve them, and calls instead for the widespread introduction of electric and hydrogen powered vehicles. MacKenzie then examines the status, benefits, projected costs, and potential barriers to the development and use of these emission-free vehicles, and estimates their impacts on air pollution, global warming, and oil imports. The report concludes with specific recommendations to accelerate the introduction of electric and hydrogen powered cars and trucks.
James MacKenzie is a Senior Associate in WRI's Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program.
November 1993
75 pages, large-format paperback
ISBN 0-915825-93-7
Order Code MAEHP, $14.95
Hundreds of billions of dollars are lost each year because the United States taxes economically productive resources such as capital and labor. Pollution taxes offer an alternative source of revenues that reduce these loses and reduce pollution.
Focusing on taxes designed to reduce the risks of climate change--carbon taxes--this report explores the main components of a tax-reform strategy that promotes environmental improvement. Key elements of the authors' proposal include returning carbon tax revenues to the economy by reducing other taxes, compensating households or specific regions hurt by additional energy tax payments, and ensuring that the tax reduces carbon dioxide emissions as inexpensively as possible. The authors conclude with specific suggestions for using these principles to guide the design of a U.S. carbon tax strategy.
Roger Dower is Director of WRI's Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program. Mary Beth Zimmerman is a Program Manager at Alliance to Save Energy.
l992
40 pages, large-format paperback
ISBN 0-915825-78-3
Order Code DODPP, $14.95
U.S. overdependence on motor vehicles stems in large measure from the failure to make car and truck owners pay the full costs of driving. Highway users, for example, pay only a fraction of the actual costs of highway construction, repair, and a host of other motor vehicle-related services.
The authors of this eye-opening paper tackle the difficult problem of estimating true transportation costs and reveal that the sums involved are enormous--ranging up to hundreds of billions of dollars per year--and could easily add several dollars to the cost of a gallon of motor fuel if it were borne directly by drivers and fuel users. Making the case for badly needed transportation reforms--more efficient conventionally powered vehicles, more attractive public transit, and the introduction of climate-friendly vehicles for the next century--the authors argue that these initiatives are unlikely ever to get off the drawing board unless and until U.S. drivers pay more of the true costs of transportation.
James MacKenzie is a Senior Associate in WRI's Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program. Roger Dower is Director of that program. Don Chen is a former WRI Research Assistant.
l992
32 pages, large-format paperback
ISBN 0-915825-775
Order Code MACTP, $12.95
This study shows how increasing vehicular carbon dioxide emissions are contributing to global climate change and presents projections for the future based on the growth of motor vehicle use worldwide. In the near term, the authors argue, controlling global warming will require major increases in new-vehicle fuel efficiency, reductions in air pollution emissions, and overall improvements in transportation and land-use planning. In the longer term, international efforts will be needed to develop energy sources for transportation that do not emit carbon dioxide. Two most promising sources, conclude the authors, are electricity and hydrogen derived from renewable energy sources.
James MacKenzie is a Senior Associate in WRI's Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program. Michael Walsh is a transportation consultant.
1990
50 pages, large-format paperback
ISBN 0-915825-61-9
Order Code MADFP, $14.95
Renewable energy is viewed by many as a long-term solution to the environmental threats posed by developing and using conventional fossil fuels. Although the potential for solar, wind, and other renewables is well-established, information and understanding of how federal and state governments can most effectively help this industry achieve its full capabilities are shallow.
By examining large utility systems and smaller scale programs, the authors identify the key economic, regulatory, and institutional barriers to greater reliance on renewable energy sources in these applications. Various public policy strategies for overcoming these hurdles are evaluated in terms of their likely costs and effectiveness. Kozloff and Dower find that no single set of programs makes sense for all renewables and that much can be done at the state level that would be difficult for the federal government to accomplish. They highlight, however, the continuing importance of the federal government's role in sponsoring renewable energy research and development and in helping create markets for renewable energy sources.
Keith Kozloff is an Associate in WRI's Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program. Roger Dower is Director of that program.
Forthcoming
November l993
100 pages (est.), large-format paperback
ISBN 0-915825-79-1
Order Code KONPP, $14.95
Scientists now agree that we are polluting our atmosphere at such a rate that, without immediate action, Earth's surface temperatures could rise anywhere from 3 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit within the next 40 years, making the planet warmer than at any time in the last 2 million years. What are the implications for agriculture, human health, natural ecosystems, and the quality of life on Earth?
Written for general audiences, The Greenhouse Trap traces the history of the greenhouse effect and shows how the current crisis has come about. Possible future consequences, based on the most credible scientific research available, are vividly described and objectively assessed. Government policies for slowing global warming are outlined along with suggestions for individuals to follow in their homes and communities. No other book in print combines straightforward analysis of the scientific and policy aspects of this pressing problem with a practical guide to consumer and citizen action.
Francesca Lyman is a science and environment writer. James MacKenzie is a Senior Associate in WRI's Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program.
1990
190 pages, paperback
ISBN 0-8070-8503-0
Order Code LYGTP, $9.95
Strategies to mitigate global warming by curbing deforestation, expanding plantations, promoting agroforestry, and restoring degraded woodlands are likely to appear increasingly attractive over the next several years. Unfortunately, these forestry techniques have long and generally checkered histories.
This report links knowledge gained from past tropical forestry initiatives with expectations for their future effectiveness in the mitigation of global warming. "Forestry profiles"--based on extensive literature reviews and expert consultations--are prepared for 54 tropical countries. There is a vast difference, the author shows, between the amount of land technically available for forestry projects and the realistic potential of these efforts to mitigate global warming.
Mark Trexler was formerly an Associate with the Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program at WRI. Christine Haugen is a consultant.
Forthcoming
March 1994
75 pages (est.), large-format paperback
ISBN 0915825-65-1
Order Code TRKGP, $14.95
Amid considerable disagreement on appropriate responses to global warming, tree planting is touted as an inexpensive option compared to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels combustion. Following a review of the problem of global warming and the political and technical appeal of biotic policy options, Trexler assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each of the major domestic forestry options, including their costs and carbon benefits.
Although forestry schemes have significant potential for storing carbon and reducing fossil fuel emissions, this report makes it abundantly clear that these options are no substitute for an energy policy that prevents carbon dioxide emissions in the first place.
Mark Trexler was formerly an Associate with the Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program at WRI.
1991
75 pages, large-format paperback
ISBN 0-915825-48-1
Order Code TRMCP, $14.95
In this book, some of the most respected researchers in their fields present empirical evidence documenting the role of air pollution in causing damage to forest trees and crops. Contributing authors document and analyze forest decline in Europe and the eastern United States as well as ozone's injury to California's pines. In the final chapter, MacKenzie and El-Ashry propose an integrated strategy to reduce pollution levels based on improved energy efficiency, abatement technology, and the use of non- fossil energy technologies. This strategy takes into account other critical problems, such as increasing oil imports, failure to attain clean air goals in U.S. cities, and the greenhouse effect.
James MacKenzie is a Senior Associate at WRI's Climate, Energy, and Pollution Program. Mohamed T. El-Ashry was formerly Senior Vice President of World Resources Institute.
Published by Yale University Press. Booksellers and wholesalers should order directly from the publisher.
1990
384 pages, hardcover
ISBN 0-300-04569-7
Order Code MAAP, $45.00
376 pages, paperback
ISBN 0-300-05232-4
Order Code MAAPP, $20.00