Infrastructure

tram in Kolkata with dancers

India's tramway turned 150. But it’s on its last legs.

​​​​​​​Kolkata's 150-year-old tram system is limping along. It's down to just two lines and there is little political will, or room in the city's crowded streets, to bring the streetcars back to their former glory days. The tram does have a small but loyal band of supporters who want to keep it alive.

India's tramway turned 150. But it’s on its last legs.
People walk along the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Jerash

Seawater in the pores? It’s what made Roman concrete great.

Seawater in the pores? It’s what made Roman concrete great.
Acela Train

The US needs a major expansion of public infrastructure, says this former presidential candidate

The US needs a major expansion of public infrastructure, says this former presidential candidate
An Amtrak passenger train makes its way along the coastline

President Trump, why are you cutting rail service to rural towns that helped get you elected?

President Trump, why are you cutting rail service to rural towns that helped get you elected?
Stockholm's highly-efficient subway system. Trains are known for running frequently and on time. They have large ridership but are not overly crowded because of the frequency of the trains.

US transportation is so far behind Sweden's it's not even funny

US transportation is so far behind Sweden's it's not even funny
PA gas pipeline

A proposed Ohio gas pipeline is raising safety and property rights concerns for landowners in Ohio

Believe it or not, the Keystone XL pipeline is not the only pipeline in North America. Pipelines that carry natural gas from wells to refineries stretch hundreds of miles in the US, crossing public and private land. Many of these pipelines are planned for densely populated areas, and in some states, local opposition has been fierce.

A proposed Ohio gas pipeline is raising safety and property rights concerns for landowners in Ohio
The Alberta Tar Sands in Canada. The Keystone Pipeline, which is designed to carry tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast has become a huge political issue. President Obama has said he will veto recent Congressional legislation approving the pipeline

Even with a GOP Congress, here's how a lame-duck Obama can help the environment

A new year, a new Congress — with both chambers now controlled by Republicans. But that doesn’t seem to have cowed President Barack Obama. Despite limited support on Capitol Hill, he seems eager to fight for a legacy that includes taking action on climate change.

Even with a GOP Congress, here's how a lame-duck Obama can help the environment
The Keystone Oil Pipeline is pictured under construction in North Dakota.

A decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline is almost here

As the country decides whether or not to move forward with the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline, America Abroad hosts a special binational Town Hall on the topic to hear perspectives from all sides of the issue.

A decision on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline is almost here
A teacher in Kolkata conducts a lesson during a particularly bad power outage that swept across India in July, 2012.

In India, reliable electricity is no guarantee

People in India have had to adapt to the country's notoriously unreliable electricity. Deepak Singh is staying with his parents in Lucknow for the summer, where he has relearned how to live without the promise of sustained power.

In India, reliable electricity is no guarantee
Superstorm Sandy

A new report from the US government shows how the impacts of climate change are already harming the US

The White House released its National Climate Assessment on Tuesday, and the biggest change is the tense. But we're not just talking grammar here. The report speaks of climate change in terms of the real world impact it's having today.

A new report from the US government shows how the impacts of climate change are already harming the US
A hostess waits for participants at the Stiletto Run in Constanta, 155 miles east of Bucharest

In one Colombian town, women say no sex until their demands are met

Women in a small town in southwestern Colombia have stopped having sex with their significant others to protest the terrible condition of a road that connects their town to the rest of Colombia. The campaign, dubbed the “crossed legs movement,” seems to be working.

In one Colombian town, women say no sex until their demands are met

Oil and Honey

Bill McKibben is the closest thing the grassroots climate movement has to a celebrity. Co-founder of 350.org, he catalyzed opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline and is now urging institutions around the country divest their holdings from fossil fuels. His new book, Oil and Honey, is half activist memoir, half meditation on beekeeping in Vermont.

Oil and Honey

Pipelines and oil trains provide different risks, rewards

The drive to build the Keystone XL pipeline and the deadly oil train wreck in Canada earlier this month have launched a lengthy discussion about how crude oil is moved around in this country. One critic says it should prompt a broad re-think of our use of fossil fuels.

Pipelines and oil trains provide different risks, rewards

Photographer says even State Department doesn't know route of Keystone pipeline

Photographer Thomas Bachand wanted to make the land to be crossed by the proposed Keystone XL pipeline his latest project. But when he went to find the exact route, he hit a brick wall. Nowhere, he says, is the exact route publicly available.

Photographer says even State Department doesn't know route of Keystone pipeline

Mystery Route For Keystone XL

When landscape photographer Thomas Bachand tried to find out the exact route of the proposed pipeline for a photo project, the US State Department told him they couldn’t help him because they didn’t know.

Mystery Route For Keystone XL