Because heat is a key ingredient in ozone formation, it is critical that we take action today to curb global warming. UCS research shows that warmer summers will likely produce more bad air-quality days in many parts of the country—especially in urban areas where car- and smokestack-related emissions tend to be higher—making ozone-related health impacts and their associated costs much worse.

Unfortunately, federal emissions-reduction policies continue to stagnate: the Obama administration delayed the release of a revised national ozone standard until at least 2013, and the Environmental Protection Agency also delayed its draft rule for reducing global warming emissions from power plants. Because heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide linger in the atmosphere for decades, these delays allow emissions to continue to build, guaranteeing at least some additional increase in temperatures and making future emissions reductions more difficult and costly.

To learn more about the connec­tion between global warming and ozone pollution, and what UCS is doing to help reduce the risks, visit www.ucsusa.org/climateandozonepollution.

Presented in the Union of Concerned Scientists Earthwise Newsletter, Volume 14, Number 1, winter 2011/2012

Push the federal government to keep new vehicle standards free of harmful loopholes.

What’s Happening

In November, the Obama administration proposed new fuel efficiency and auto pol­lution standards for cars and light trucks, formalizing an agreement reached with automakers in July. As Earthwise went to press, UCS expected the new standards (which begin taking effect in 2017) to reach the equivalent of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, cutting carbon emissions and boosting new vehicles’ fuel economy substantially.

Improving vehicles’ environmental performance is one of the most important steps we can take to save consumers money at the gas pump, reduce the risks of global warming, and cut America’s oil dependence. The technology exists to­day—in the form of more-efficient engines, smarter transmissions, and better materi­als—to make any new car, truck, or SUV cleaner and more fuel efficient. Automak­ers are putting this technology to work: 39 models in showrooms now—varying in size from compact cars to pickups—already meet 2017 fuel economy targets.

However, the government’s attempts to help automakers comply with the pro­posed standards provide an opportunity for automakers to undermine them. For example, SUVs, pickup trucks, and mini­vans will be held to weaker standards than cars. This provision could easily become a loophole if automakers abuse the system and reclassify cars as trucks.

The Environmental Protection Agency and other regulating agencies are seek­ing public comment on the new standards over the next two months. Decision makers need to hear from consumers like you dur­ing this period, since you have the most to gain—or lose—from the outcome.

What You Can Do

Submit an official comment to the rule-making agencies and urge them to finalize the strongest possible fuel efficiency and auto pollution standards. Send an email via the online UCS Action Network at www.ucsusa.org/action, or mail a letter to:

Environmental Protection Agency

Mailcode 2822T

1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20460

Attn: Docket no. EPA–HQ–OAR– 2010–0799

Presented in the Union of Concerned Scientists Earthwise Newsletter, Volume 14, Number 1, winter 2011/2012

• Selling food directly to consumers is a $1 billion-plus industry for farmers. At least 136,000 U.S. farms sell food to consumers through local food systems including more than 7,000 farmers markets and 4,000 community-supported agriculture (CSA) arrangements (in which consumers buy a share of a farm’s harvest in advance).

• Obesity, which is partly attributable to Americans’ under-consumption of fruits and vegetables relative to other foods, leads to an estimated $147 billion in annual medical costs in the United States. Research shows that shoppers buy more fruits and vegetables at farmers markets than at supermarkets.

• Modest public investment in farmers markets—in the range of $25 million annually—could create up to 13,500 jobs over a five-year period.