by Ritesh Gautam and James Williams
Efforts to locate, measure and reduce the planet-warming methane emissions from global oil and gas operations often focus on large, concentrated sources. But a growing body of research suggests that by not tracking smaller, dispersed sources, regulators, operators and scientists are missing a significant share of the emissions problem.
The need to transition to zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicles is urgent. Today, most of these vehicles run on diesel, which has massive consequences for human health. Thankfully, fleets have been embracing this challenge. In 2024, fleets again added a record number of EVs into their operations.
As we look towards 2025 and beyond, there is more funding available than ever before to help fleets make the transition to medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles. These astounding investments are key to unlocking progress in the sector. Much of this funding is thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. These laws, focused on modernizing America’s infrastructure while addressing local air pollution, climate change and promoting clean energy, have allocated billions of dollars for electric vehicle infrastructure.
By Pedro Piris-Cabezas and Glenda Chen
Airport activity emits a noxious cocktail of air pollutants, including ashy particulate matter, sulfur oxides, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. Among them, PM emissions from aircraft turbines often fly under the radar yet have an outsized impact on regional air quality and public health.
By Nini Gu
Data recently collected by EDF’s MethaneAIR project in 2023 reveals a striking difference in the emissions profiles between the two major Colorado basins: the Denver-Julesburg (D-J) in the east, and the Piceance in the west. The D-J Basin exhibited a 1.7% methane loss rate from the total natural gas produced; by contrast, the loss rate for the Piceance Basin hit 7%, a high figure among all surveyed basins.
By Pedro Piris-Cabezas and Glenda Chen
The adoption of electricity-based synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels, will be essential for any hard-to-decarbonize sector with a stake in a resilient liquid fuels market. Chief among them is aviation.
The shift to electric trucks is accelerating faster than ever. This has been another record year for medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle deployment, with 2024 outpacing 2023 as the best year yet for EV adoption, according to a new Environmental Defense Fund analysis of Class 2b-8 fleet announcements.
