“How can utilities be compensated for costs incurred while building new facilities?”
Utilities spend money to create new facilities all the time. However, these processes can be very expensive and will not produce a return until the asset is completed. So what can we do to ensure that utilities earn enough return to keep operations going? Well, what if we were to compensate a utility for the amount of loans and equity they use to create the project and multiply it by the amount spent during construction monthly? Well, this concept is called Allowance for Funds Used During Construction and is applied to utilities to make sure that they are able to complete projects on time.
Why Giving Wealthy Landowners Too Much Power Over Infrastructure Decisions Can Destroy Transit Accessibility
02/12/22
“Why would giving wealthy land-owners too much power over infrastructure decisions destroy transit accessibility?”
In many countries such as the United States and Canada, landowners (as long as they’re white) can make public comments over infrastructure proposals that run near or through their properties. Oftentimes, these people do not have the public’s interest at heart and can cause projects to be stopped for nefarious reasons. This leads to delays, cost overruns, and functionality downgrades in transit projects. This is Why Giving Wealthy Landowners Too Much Power Over Infrastructure Decisions Can Destroy Transit Accessibility.
Why Limiting NFT Transactions is Good for the Environment
02/11/22
“Why is limiting NFT transactions good for the environment?”
NFT transactions cause a spike of energy use. If these transactions can be limited, then less carbon emissions will be released and the climate change will be slowed. This is Why Limiting NFT Transactions is Good for the Environment.
Why Banning NFTs Would Be Good for the Environment
02/10/22
“Why are banning NFTs good for the environment?”
NFTs are known to be highly wasteful and bad for the environment. So if governments were to band together to ban them, then they could cut off a potential large source of carbon emissions. This is Why Banning NFTs Would Be Good for the Environment.
NFTs are (as of writing) one of the latest crazes in the world. However, one significant downside is that they are bought and sold using cryptocurrency, which consumes gargantuan amounts of energy and greenhouse gasses. Once you know this it’s pretty simple to see Why NFTS Are Bad for the Environment.
Why Decreasing Gas Usage Advances Indigenous Rights
02/07/22
“Why can decreasing natural gas usage advance Indigenous rights?”
Natural gas pipelines are vulnerable to leaks and stressful environmental impacts. Energy companies disproportionately place these networks on Indigenous territory because they are aware that they will face legal ramifications as a result of settler-colonial power structures. However, if people decrease their gas usage, there will be less demand for these pipelines, and Indigenous land will be pressured much less. This is Why Decreasing Gas Usage Advances IndigenousRights.
“How can we mark that cars should share the lane with bicycles?”
Separating bicycles from riders is a great way to ensure cyclist safety. However, sometimes this is not possible to achieve. So how can we do the best we can given the circumstances? Well, what if we were to simply mark the part of the road where cyclists are supposed to ride? This would be a relatively affordable and easy to implement procedure and help automobiles know that they should look out for bicyclists. These Bike Sharrows can be found in cities all over the world, wherever there are bicyclists.
Bike lanes are one of the greatest inventions of urbanism by allowing bikes to have their own part of the street not shared with cars. But what is its most basic form? Well, what if we were to just paint a solid white lane (except for being checkered at intersections) to delineate where cars can and cannot enter? This is the idea behind Basic Bike Lanes and is one of the most effective ways to make a city more transit friendly.
Snowstorms cause great havoc and delays. One piece of infrastructure that is impacted the most is airports. When these occur, flights can be grounded to a halt and delays can ripple out. To prevent this, airports should take active measures such as predicting snowstorms and canceling flights early. This is how we can look into Preparing Airports for Snow Storms.
