Now, she and fellow student activists are working to break one big link in the fossil fuel chain that is driving climate change: gas stations. The number of gas stations is declining – there were more than 200,000 in 1994 – but the size of gas stations is increasing as “mom and pop” stops give way to massive fueling sites owned by supermarket chains hoping to lure in shoppers with cheap gas. The long-term shift to electric and a mass closures of gas stations will create toxic “brown sites” across the country. The gas station ban is part of the town’s ambitious goal to become carbon neutral by 2030 – five years before the state’s target. Fischer is hopeful that Petaluma’s gas station ban can, like Putnam’s sprawl case, start a national debate and – eventually – lead to a moratorium on new gas stations.

Source: The Guardian August 17, 2021 11:00 UTC