“Growth has meant emissions, and emissions have meant growth. The climate crisis is the result of that history, as is the wealth of nations,” posits New York Magazine about the urgency for climate reparations from heavily-industrialized Northern countries so the worst of climate degradation faced in the global South isn’t realized and instead moves towards collective efforts in “global green prosperity”.

Check out a map of upcoming Equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) projects around Chicago that are partially funded by a microgrants from the city, Elevated Chicago, and Enterprise Community Partners and center community-focused spaces and amenities around affordable housing near CTA train stations.

Taxi drivers in New York weren’t happy with the de Blasio-backed debt relief plan for burdened cab drivers, but a two-week long hunger strike put pressure on the city—with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance calling the new deal a resounding success! Drivers can now expect restructured loans to a much small $200,000 and monthly payments capped to almost half of what was previously contracted.

While hitting the slopes in Colorado isn’t always the trip on transportation planners’ radar, this is now seeing fresh attention from local carpool programs to help people cut down on single-occupancy rides headed towards the Rockies’ Front Range.

How can bikeshare thrive in Los Angeles? Streetsblog LA lays out four much-needed tactics for rounding out the system for better visibility and connectivity that go beyond LADOT’s recent expansion of Metro Bike Share into Hollywood (which is still a notable win).

Staying on the topic of bikeshare, the Better Bike Share Partnership recaps their Shared Micromobility and Cities for Cycling Roundtable series (co-hosted by NACTO)—which included workshops on scaling up programs to bolster “people-powered wheels” and flexible community engagement for all ages and abilities.

It’s not a bird, plane, or Superman coming to save the world—it’s public transit. Frequent and reliable public transit is what can help mitigate emissions while creating social equity, and, as The Verge points out, we just need to fund current systems to save it from the death spiral.

In Austria, traveling for an entire day costs less than a medium latte ($3.50) with the new ‘climate ticket’ that covers use of all public transit systems across the country. Can the U.S. get one of these?

Can tech-promises of “our driverless future” really solve the issues we face today? We agree with Fast Company suggesting prioritizing the modernization of today’s public transit and mobility solutions instead to avoid car dependency as a given.

Meanwhile, Amazon’s robotaxi company Zoox is getting reorganized and reviewed as it gears up to offer commercial ride services in Las Vegas.

Cars harm the planet besides just speeding down our roads—gas-guzzlers exported worldwide also contribute to air pollution and waste through the (unregulated) practice known as “global dumping”. Wealthy nations mostly responsible for this need to overhaul recycling standards and cut used vehicle exports entirely so cars aren’t adding even more CO2 into the air.

Finally onto COP26 news: it’s t-minus five days until the climate conference’s transport day, but so far, there’s no mention of biking, walking, or trains. How are we going to help the planet without clean transportation options at the forefront of sustainability? We’ll be tuned in on November 10 to see leaders’ answers.