- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
- MLB Twins up for sale after 40 years
- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Windies sweat on injury to 'crucial' Taylor at World Cup
- Lebanon says 11 dead, 48 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut
- Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
- Erdogan says Gaza 'shame of humanity', calls for permanent ceasfire
- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
- SAfrica prosecutors drop criminal complaint against president
- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
- Hurricane whips up bitter US election battle
- Cameroon bans media talk of president's health amid rumours
- NFL MVP Jackson and rookie phenom Daniels set for showdown
- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
- No answers on strike on reporters in Lebanon one year on: watchdog
- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
- Djokovic hails Nadal 'legacy' as Alcaraz in 'shock' over retirement
- Obama hits campaign trail for Harris
- Delta eyes Election Day travel pullback as profits climb
- Djokovic tells Nadal: 'Your legacy will live forever'
- Ethel Kennedy, wife of RFK, dead at 96
- Zelensky denies ceasefire with Russia under discussion on trip
- Florida battered by hurricane, floods but spared 'worst-case scenario'
- After long fight for glory, Nadal leaves with a legacy of memories
- Home hopes Zheng and Wang through to last-eight in Wuhan Open
- UN peacekeepers say Israel fired on Lebanon HQ, injuring 2
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Alcaraz out as top players pay tribute to Nadal at Shanghai Masters
- Racing's Farrell 'not thinking' about British and Irish Lions
Green truckin': US finalizes new heavy-vehicle pollution standards
Following last week's crackdown on car emissions, President Joe Biden's administration on Friday unveiled finalized pollution standards for trucks, placing vehicle tailpipes at the forefront of his climate crisis agenda.
The new rules announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will apply to vehicles including freight trucks, school buses and waste haulers built between 2027 and 2032, and will prevent around a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere.
Heavy goods vehicles account for 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the US transport sector, which itself is the main source of emissions in the country, according to the EPA.
The finalized regulations are the "strongest national greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty vehicles in history," EPA chief Michael Regan said.
Under the measures, vehicle manufacturers will have the flexibility to choose which set of emission control technologies they want to use, with options including hybrid and electric engines.
Regan said heavy-duty vehicles are essential for "keeping our economy moving" but represent "significant contributors to pollution from the transportation sector, emissions that are fueling climate change and creating poor air quality in too many American communities."
Around 72 million people in the United States live next to truck freight routes, and they are more likely to be people of color or from low-income households, the EPA said.
Harmful air pollutants in truck emissions, including nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and more can exacerbate serious heart and respiratory conditions.
"Today's truck rules will improve the air we breathe and curb the pollution that is driving climate change," said Paul Billings, a public policy director at the American Lung Association.
- 'Performance based, technology neutral' -
Last week, the Biden administration announced new standards for automakers, which will require a nearly 50 percent drop in fleet-wide emissions in 2032 compared with 2026 through increased sales of electric vehicles (EVs) and low-emission cars.
The rules dovetail with other Biden programs to incentivize EV sales and build more EV charging stations and manufacturing facilities.
"Like last week's clean car standards, the clean truck standards will be performance based and technology neutral -– so manufacturers will not be required to make any particular type of trucks," said Amanda Leland, executive director of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), welcoming the move.
"And like the clean car standards before them, the clean truck standards are expected to help supercharge American manufacturing and job creation, especially in the growing market for electric vehicles."
But industry group the American Trucking Associations (ATA) said the sector hadn't been given the tools it required to make the transition.
"ATA opposes this rule in its current form because the post-2030 targets remain entirely unachievable given the current state of zero-emission technology, the lack of charging infrastructure and restrictions on the power grid," said the group's president and CEO, Chris Spear.
"The trucking industry is fully committed to the road to zero emissions, but the path to get there must be paved with commonsense," Spear said.
The total number of trucks on the road is estimated at just under 14 million, according to the ATA. An analysis by the EDF in December revealed that only around 13,000 of these trucks are electric, a mere 0.1 percent of the total fleet, making them a rare sight for now.
M.A.Colin--AMWN