Insurance industry leads split in 1% by openly opposing #climate lies

Insurers Stray From the Conservative Line on Climate Change - NYTimes.com: "And the industry expects the situation will get worse. “Numerous studies assume a rise in summer drought periods in North America in the future and an increasing probability of severe cyclones relatively far north along the U.S. East Coast in the long term,” said Peter Höppe, who heads Geo Risks Research at the reinsurance giant Munich Re. “The rise in sea level caused by climate change will further increase the risk of storm surge.” Most insurers, including the reinsurance companies that bear much of the ultimate risk in the industry, have little time for the arguments heard in some right-wing circles that climate change isn’t happening, and are quite comfortable with the scientific consensus that burning fossil fuels is the main culprit of global warming."

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Public transit should everywhere be free on election day

North Adams Transcript: "ADAMS -- Adams voters needing transportation will be able to get a free ride to the polls for the special state primary election on Tuesday, April 30."

As car count approaches 2 billion, no sign of fossil-fuel subsidies abating.

Earth Day 2013: transport as a solution in the face of climate change | TheCityFix: "Macias added that the transportation sector is the fastest growing sector of greenhouse gas emitters on a worldwide scale, pointing out that we are nearing 2 billion cars on our planet. “There is a need to integrate fleet policy on a global scale, including fuel economy standards, second-hand car trade, increasing public transport, and responsible urban development,” he said.

One of the biggest impacts the transportation sector can have in combating climate change is in cutting fossil-fuel subsidies, which would put economic pressure on cities to switch to more fuel-efficient modes of transport and encourage non-motorized transport, as well as pressure individual citizens to invest in more fuel-efficient vehicles, public transport and non-motorized transport. According to the World Resource Institute, in 2010 fossil-fuel subsidies were $409 billion, and without any subsidy reform, they are set to increase to a staggering $660 billion in 2020. And although renewable energy subsidies are growing, they still have a long way to go. In 2010 they were at $66 billion, up from $39 million in 2007."

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Westport, CT, fares only 12% of funding and that includes cost of collection

Autosprawl trolls in government have applied the "run-it-like-a-business" and accounting-thinking to starve Westport public transit. Why not make it fare-free and you won't need a $20,000 promotion campaign.

Transit talk: Debating the public's support -- and need -- for Westport public transit - Westport News: "The number of rides has actually been higher, but these were in times where there was actually a little more financial support, more routes and more awareness. So we do see the relationship between funding and rides."

Want jobs? Get #transit

Patrick’s plan will fix the transportation messmbtaTRUTH | mbtaTRUTH: "— A 10-year plan to eliminate MBTA deficits and the annual need for big fare increases and service cuts, and invest in the current system, including the purchases of new Red and Orange Line cars.;

— Improved service at the 15 Regional Transit Authorities;

— Spending billions to fix existing roads, rails and bridges in every city and town in the Commonwealth;

— Creating tens of thousands private sector jobs;

— Transparent accounting of the more than $ 1 billion MassDOT deficit."

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More Boston workers are #carfree - many more

Standing up for car-free development in Boston - Opinion - The Boston Globe: "There are now 27,000 more car-free workers living in the city than there were a decade ago."

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Oil pipelines causing split in 1%

Anti-Keystone billionaire rattles Democrats - Andrew Restuccia and Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com: "The former hedge fund trader-turned-philanthropist is bankrolling a far-flung political operation pushing environmental causes and candidates, including his pricey effort to torpedo the Keystone XL oil pipeline. He's increasingly drawing scrutiny for trying to take down the Senate candidacy of Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch, a Democrat who has expressed support for Keystone."