Chart of the Day: US Cars Getting More Fuel Efficient

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Here’s some modestly good news to start your day. (Or, if you’re on the East Coast, to start your lunch hour.) Carbon emissions from US vehicles are down considerably over the past few years. This is due to a combination of less driving and more efficient vehicles. The chart below, from the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, tells the story. And things will get even better over the next decade, as the Obama administration’s program to increase average fuel economy to 54.5 mpg kicks in.

It’s not enough, but it’s something.

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The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again today—any amount.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

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