Climate Break

What does a zero-emission vehicle really mean?

Clean transportation policies promoting sustainability have progressed over the years and have become even more important, both because transportation represents the largest portion of greenhouse gas emissions and because climate change has been accelerating at unprecedented rates. The public is likely more familiar with zero-emission cars, but zero-emission trucks are also becoming an integral part of mitigating climate and other environmental impacts.

Transportation-based pollution

The transportation industry as a whole has been the biggest source of greenhouse gasses over the time period since the Industrial Revolution. Impacts of emissions associated with transportation include harm to the environment as well as to human health. Trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles constitute six percent of the on-road fleet but produce up to 26 percent of transportation-based greenhouse gas emissions along with a plethora of pollutants that can cause various types of cancer, asthma, and other respiratory challenges. Diesel-fueled trucks and other large vehicles can also cause noise pollution and take an out-sized toll on road infrastructure. 

Benefits of Zero-Emission Trucking

Zero-emission trucking can help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and reduce both greenhouse gas emissions and emissions of other pollutants into the environment. By one estimate, US regions could save $735 billion in public health benefits due to cleaner air and result in 1.75 million fewer asthma attacks. The Inflation Reduction Act provides incentives for the manufacturing and purchasing of zero-emission trucks. People who buy zero-emission vehicles, for example, can receive significant tax breaks, subsidies, and even discounts on road tolls. Moreover, it is common for zero-emission trucks to be exempt from vehicle dimensions and weight restrictions

Drawbacks of Clean Trucks

Although zero-emission trucks–battery electric trucks and hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks–as a whole have a lot of advantages, they still face significant challenges. For example, clean trucks may still be ill-suited for the range demanded of long-haul applications. Even with IRA incentives, clean trucks can be two and a half to three times more expensive than the diesel equivalent, although the cost of fuel and maintenance is likely less. Battery electric trucks can take up to four times longer than their diesel equivalent to charge. And even though hydrogen-operated trucks are more efficient than battery electric trucks, the US currently lacks the necessary hydrogen infrastructure to make them truly feasible. 

In addition, hydrogen trucks, when fully charged, have a range that is about 500 miles and battery electric… [about] 180 to 250. By comparison, a diesel truck running a full load can have a range of roughly 1000 to 1200 miles. Because the sustainable alternatives are heavier, they actually would end up carrying less and more trucks would be needed to do the same amount of work as a single diesel-powered truck could, increasing operational costs and decreasing efficiency.

Aronin and Zero-Emission Mobility

Ruben Aronin is working to pave a path towards zero-emission mobility in the United States (especially California) with his team at Better World Group. They have worked to support multiple policies, including the Advanced Clean Truck Rule which is a significant part of California’s zero-emission truck policy. That rule mandates that manufacturers–provided with four years of lead time–increase electric truck vehicle sales every year from 2025. Additionally, it promotes a 100% sales requirement of zero-emission trucks by 2036. 

Mr. Aronin believes that the Advanced Clean Truck Rule along with another policy, called the Advanced Clean Fleet Rule, will enable the quickest transitions to zero-emission trucks, particularly in the most pollution-burdened communities. His coalition includes the Teamsters and others to help ensure labor and environmental justice support. He also recognizes that it is often economically difficult or unfeasible for companies and individuals to purchase zero-emission trucks. To this end, tax credits and investments from the federal IRA and IAJ are essential. As the market grows, Mr. Aronin says that the price of the electric truck components and batteries are decreasing at a rapid pace.

Who is Ruben Aronin?

Ruben Aronin, current principal of The Better World Group, acts to advance clean transportation policies. He joined the BWG in 2012 and currently helps to lead BWG’s advanced transportation project work. Aronin has previously created and implemented effective environmental policy initiatives to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy in over a dozen states across the country (including California). 

Resources

American Lung Association, Delivering Clean Air: Health Benefits of Zero-Emission Trucks

McKinsey, Preparing the world for zero-emission trucks

FleetOwner, Future of zero-emission trucks: Challenges and promises ahead

Further Reading

MotorBiscuit, Are Pickup Trucks Really That Bad for the Environment?

Tachyon, Environmental impact of trucks and sustainability practices

McKinsey, How batteries drive the zero-emission truck transition

For a transcript, please visit https://climatebreak.org/clean-trucks-with-ruben-aronin/.

About the Air Filters

Aurabeat is a medically patented air filter technology that has proven to reduce up to 99.9% of COVID-19 bacteria from the air. This was heavily deployed in some of the most infectious environments akin to COVID-19 hospitals and quarantine facilities, where more than 500 air purifier units were placed. It was also used in over a 100 schools, hospitals, retail outlets, and major shopping centers in places like Hong Kong to aid in the reopening of public facilities during pandemic times. 

Background

Aurabeat manages to sterilize air up to “3.4 times in one hour” in an extremely efficient manner while remaining quite portable and accessible to everyone. Most air filtration technologies are employed through means of direct installation, which not only takes time to deploy, but also comes with other costs. For example, systems like HVAC consume large amounts of electricity which “can lead to increased carbon emissions unless the energy comes from renewable sources” (Mechanics Depot). 

Advantages of this solution

Additionally, the production of air filters requires heavy transportation along with the extraction of resources from the earth which can deplete the environment. Moreover, after air filters are installed, they “need to be replaced regularly” and because they are usually not biodegradable or recyclable, this adds to landfill burden. Aurabeat deftly handles a lot of these challenges, making it an environmentally friendly alternative with medical grade benefits. 

Drawbacks

While it may be an extremely energy efficient alternative, the noise that the purifier makes can be disturbing to some users. Additionally, Aurabeat has some other air purifying competitors that may have larger coverage. 

Guest’s take on the solution

Mr. Philip Yuen emphasizes that although Aurabeat's energy efficient building air filters which utilize acoustic soundwaves to filter air may seem to be a costly investment, they save money in the long run due to improved efficiency. Additionally, they help the climate by providing a significant 15-30% reduction in energy consumption.

About our guest

Phil Yuen has been the CEO of Aurabeat for over 5 years, leading the company through the pandemic to help building owners better protect their occupants from risk of COVID 19 infection. He achieved his M.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from Cornell University. 

For a transcript, please visit climatebreak.org/energy-efficient-building-air-filters-with-phil-yuen/

What is Forging Resilience?

The Forging Resilience project from UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center for Law, Energy, & the Environment seeks to “bridge the gap between climate solutions posed by experts and the on-the-ground obstacles that prevent individuals and communities from adopting those solutions.” Predicated on the idea that libraries and museums maintain a high level of trust from their communities, the project builds free toolkits for museums and libraries to encourage local, collaborative problem-solving for local environmental challenges, identifying local impacts and local solutions and resources. 

How it Works

Forging Resilience provides the toolkit to a host institution—either a library or museum—and community members can come out to participate in the program. The toolkits consist of several different materials including posters and banners, exhibits, conversation guides, skills-building guides, and promotional templates. The materials focus on local climate impacts, including “downscaling” work from Climate Central.  Current host partners of Forging Resilience include the Sutter County Library and Sutter County Museum, and the Chautauqua and Cattaraugus County Library System. Forging Resilience also contains a Solutions Hub, providing opportunities for individuals to reduce their contributions to carbon emissions and to understand how those emissions reductions can reduce impacts. Currently, the Solutions Hub offers guides for reducing food waste and improving insulation, with an incoming guide on installing rooftop solar. 

What it Means

By providing accessible and feasible pathways for citizens to make small changes to improve their climate footprint, Forging Resilience promotes the idea that climate change can be solved through collective action and community. There are over 17,000 libraries in the US.  Providing materials, including local impacts and solutions, is an on-going challenge for Forging Resilience, which has a small staff and budget. Moving forward, Forging Resilience hopes to expand their reach and grow their number of participants in order to maximize their impact. 

About our Guest 

Chandra L. Middleton is a Senior Research Fellow in Project Climate at the Center for Law, Energy, and Environment. Chandra’s work focuses on social and cultural dimensions of climate change and environmental policy. Her current projects include Forging Resilience and renewable energy installation permitting processes. She was previously executive producer of the Climate Break podcast.

Resources

Forging Resilience, forgingresilience.org

Project Drawdown (climate solution guide), https://drawdown.org/

One Earth (global climate solutions), https://www.oneearth.org/

More about CLEE, https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/clee/

For a transcript, please visit climatebreak.org/forging-resilience-with-chandra-middleton/

Introduction to solution

Green banks “provide financing and technical assistance for clean energy and climate solutions” while driving “economic, health, and environmental benefits for communities across the country” (US Green Bank 50). They attempt to spend, save, and invest people’s money conscientiously so they “can grow [their] money while making the world a better place” (GreenFi). 

Background

The fossil fuel industry is the primary driver of our climate crisis, creating an imperative to implement reductions of greenhouse gas as soon as possible to minimize the potential for catastrophic impacts. Unfortunately, traditional banks have exacerbated this problem; specifically, they have “financed fossil fuels by $7.9 trillion dollars since the Paris Agreement,” enabling the building of new oil and gas pipelines, large-scale equipment purchases, and more oil and gas explorations to expand their businesses (Rainforest Action Network). 

Advantages of Climate-Friendly Banks

Green banks pledge to never fund projects involving fossil fuels. Many also donate a percentage of the monthly amount that customers pay to “non-profits that support climate action” while providing transparency about the carbon footprints of their funded businesses (GreenFi). Some “optimistic studies even estimate that [this] divestment [of resources]… can lead to an effective reduction in carbon footprint of up to 7%” (Mieux Donner).

Drawbacks of this Solution

However, critics argue that the impact of divestment is not equal to the carbon impact of the investment: “under the current system, divested funds can be quickly replaced by other investors, which limits the direct effect on the behaviour of companies and their CO2 emissions” (Mieux Donner). Companies can also adjust their financial strategies to offset the impact of divestment, which limits its effect on their emissions. Specifically, while green banking is well-intentioned, staying with a conventional bank may allow customers to save more money, which they could then donate to high-impact environmental nonprofits.

Guest’s take

Charley Cummings, the CEO of a climate-friendly bank known as Walden Mutual, emphasizes how the largest funders of fossil fuel companies are banks in the United States. He encourages listeners to switch to greener banks that divest their funds towards sustainability while remaining as reliable as traditional banks.

About our guest

Charley Cummings is the CEO of Walden Mutual Bank, which solely invests their holdings in local sustainable companies.

Resources

BusinessGreen, ‘Historic bid for greener banking': 21 universities threaten to switch billions of pounds to 'green' banks

Greenfi, Greenfi

Mieux Donner, A critical analysis of green neo-banks: greenwashing or effective leverage?

Rainforest Action Network, Banks fossil fuel finance totals $869 billion in 2024, a dramatic increase in financing

Ran, Banks Fossil Fuel Financing

U.S. Green Bank 50, The U.S. Green Bank 50

Further Reading

Edie, Timeline: What’s Included in the IEA’s new Net-Zero Roadmap for energy? 

Financial Times, Cambridge-led coalition of universities threatens banks over fossil-fuel financing

US EPA, Green Banks

For a transcript, please visit climatebreak.org. For a transcript please visit climatebreak.org/climate-friendly-banking-with-charley-cummings/

Introduction to Solution

Traditional drilling for crude oil contributes an immense amount of pollution to the Earth’s atmosphere. A study conducted by Stanford University in 2018 found that “on average, oil production emitted 10.3 grams of emissions for every megajoule of crude.” In 2022, 11.89 thousand barrels of crude oil were produced in 2022—or around 69 million megajoules. This oil is used, in part, to fuel aviation, which overall, as of 2018, contributed to 2.5 percent of all carbon emissions. Further, aviation has broader climate change implications due to the release of “contrails, NOx, water vapor, sulfate aerosol gases, soot, and other aerosols.” While this is a relatively small amount compared to other contributors—such as ground vehicles—airlines have attempted to combat their contributions to the climate crisis through integrating more sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) into their oil supply. SAF is fuel made from sources including corn grain, algae, agricultural and forestry residues, solid waste and dedicated energy crops. It has been found to have “fewer aromatic components than kerosene”—the typical jet fuel—which allows them to reduce emissions of contributors other than CO2. 

Recently, the used cooking oil from restaurants has become another valuable source for airlines to find SAF. In May 2022, Dallas-Fort Worth airport partnered with Neste, an oil refining company, to collect the oil used in onsite restaurants—including 5 McDonald’s locations—to convert used fry oil to airline fuel. Neste’s subsidiary, Mahoney Environmental, takes the used up oil from restaurants to convert the oil. It currently collects from 90,000 businesses in the United States, and is one of hundreds of companies that collect oil from various restaurants around the globe. In 2023, the first transatlantic commercial flight fueled 100 percent by SAF traveled from London’s Heathrow airport to New York’s JFK airport. 

According to the Washington Post, the cooking oil moves through an intense process to convert it into aviation fuel; first, the grease is maintained at 140º during transit to keep its liquid consistency. Then, Neste uses a clay substance to strip out unwanted chemicals, including “sodium left over from salty foods, phosphorus and various metals.” A catalyst removes the oxygen molecules, and the “straight hydrocarbon chains are bent into spiky, irregular branches that won’t stack up and lump themselves into a solid, even at very low temperatures.”

While SAF and used cooking oil help with minimizing emissions of certain fossil fuels and particles, they do not minimize emissions of CO2. Also, critics have accused SAF in airline emissions as being a greenwashing scheme, arguing that the crops used to create SAF would be better put to use by growing food. Finally, according to the World Economic Forum, “sustainable aviation fuel currently costs around four times as much as conventional jet fuel,” resulting in low incentive to replace traditional fuel production pathways with SAF. 

According to Dr. Colin Murphy, our guest for this week, policy pathways and airline incentives can encourage SAF usage.

About our guest

Dr. Colin Murphy is the Deputy Director of the Policy Institute for Energy, Environment, and the Economy, and co-director of the ITS-Davis Low Carbon Fuel Policy Research Initiative. He helps guide research and outreach on issues relating to transportation, energy, air quality, and carbon markets, with a primary focus on sustainable fuel policies like California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

Resources

Stanford study finds stark differences in the carbon-intensity of global oil fields, StanfordReport

It’s the wealthy frequent fliers who have the biggest carbon stamp from air travel—especially those jet-setting around on private craft, Sierra Club

Aviation is responsible for 3.5 percent of climate change, study finds, NOAA Research

An Airbus powered by cooking oil: Is sustainable aviation fuel the future of aviation?, Weforum

These Airport McDonald’s Recycle Fry Oil into Jet Fuel – Here’s How, MacDonalds Corporate

From restaurant kitchens to commercial jets: The greasy trail of used cooking oil, Washington Post

How much oil is produced in the US?, USAFacts

Barrels of Oil to Megajoules, UnitJuggler

For a transcript, please visit climatebreak.org/used-cooking-oil-for-aviation-fuel/