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Purpose of Review The medium- and heavy-duty vehicle sectors are responsible for an outsized portion of greenhouse gas emissions and harmful particulate emissions. Decarbonizing this sector is challenging and extremely necessary. This paper provides an overview of the current and future state of electrifying this sector. Recent Findings Recent research has shown that zero-emission vehicles used for medium- and heavy-duty applications are available and cost-saving over their lifetimes. This is especially true for buses and delivery trucks. Summary Electrification of the medium- and heavy-duty sector is critical and is possible in the next 2 decades with complementary policies at the federal level in the USA.

Purpose of Review This review explores the transportation implications of key scenarios for deep decarbonization. While electrification of transportation is not the only action that will be needed to reach climate-change goals, it is one necessary step. This review provides an overview of technologies available for electrification of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles, the infrastructure required to support electrification, and policy options to accelerate the transition to a cleaner transportation future. Recent Findings Climate studies have shown that as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue rising, aggressive action is needed to achieve deep decarbonization in the USA and worldwide. Transportation is the largest source of GHG emissions in the USA, and one of the largest worldwide. Experts agree that electrifying road transportation is essential to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. Recent advances in electric vehicle (EV) technology are making electrification viable. Automakers are quickly increasing the number and diversity of commercially available EV models, and consumer awareness of EV technology is slowly growing. Studies show that policymakers can effectively accelerate transportation electrification through tax incentives, regulations, and other policy tools. Summary All credible pathways for achieving deep decarbonization rely on complete or near-complete electrification of passenger vehicles. Advances in EV technology have made this goal feasible from a technical standpoint, though much more needs to be done to achieve rapid electrification in practice. Prospects for electrifying medium- and heavy-duty vehicles are improving, but the high mileage and heavy load requirements of these vehicles present technical challenges. Moreover, achieving widespread electrification of road transportation will require considerable expansion of EV infrastructure (e.g., charging networks), as well as upgrades to existing electric grids. Policymakers can support rapid electrification through actions including tax rebates and other incentives that encourage consumers to purchase EVs, regulations that prioritize electrification of vehicles serving transportation network companies (TNCs), and increased public investment in EV infrastructure and research.

The gold rush/mining era of the nineteenth and early twentieth century had global repercussions. Using data collected from three archaeological sites in the Upper Murchison region of Western Australia dating to this period, the global through to local context of these sites is explored. The results of the first comprehensive archaeological study of gold mining settlement sites in Western Australia suggest that participants adapted to accommodate fundamental shifts in politics, ideology, and social relations during this period, most of which were unique to the local context. In addition, although a global perspective is important given the widespread nature of the gold rushes and aspects of the experience being 'shared', framing questions in terms of local patterns and influence may render overarching global interpretations less tenable.

The Middle East Policy Council welcomed a distinguished panel of speakers to its 89th Capitol Hill conference on July 14. Hosted by the council's chairman, Richard J. Schmierer, and executive director Thomas R. Mattair, the conference touched on the impending effort to rebuild Iraq and Syria, especially following the liberation of Mosul from ISIS and the Syrian cease-fire brokered by the US and Russia. James Jeffrey, former US ambassador to Turkey and Iraq, warned of the dangers of oversimplifying solutions, and inevitable failure if policymakers do not have a clear strategy for the region. Denise Natali, distinguished research fellow at the National Defense University, said it is crucial to understand the disparity between the reality of the conflicts and the US perception of the conflicts, as they are very different based on her experience on the ground.

Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh gave a fascinating talk entitled, Political Challenges to Diversity in Both Nature and Society in Palestine at the Palestine Center in Washington DC on June 30. The founding director of the Palestine Museum of Natural History and the Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University, Dr. Qumsiyeh discussed the challenges faced by Palestine's ecosystem due to the Israeli occupation, and the efforts his organization is making to restore biodiversity to the area. Qumsiyeh acknowledged the political challenges intertwined with environmental challenges, reaching as far back as 1880, when the first Zionist colony was established in Palestine. His message was that movements toward uniformity, such as Zionism, have threatened the crucial diversity found in the landscape.

Noor Wazwaz, a producer for NPR's Morning Edition and Up First podcast, which regularly reels in around 14 million listeners, spoke on July 28 at the Palestine Center in Washington DC. Noor, who has participated in many events as a speaker and panelist focusing on journalism, Muslim youth and Islamophobia, discussed how she navigates through the world of mainstream media and the challenges that she confronts while reporting on Palestine. Her travels shaped Wazwaz's early experience in the field of journalism, and when she began to work around many large, competitive media outlets, she realized the flaws in the coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. She also explained how the most important context that is missing is the role of the US in supporting Israel, citing the more than $100 billion in aid given by the US since Israel's creation in 1948.

Students shared their powerful narratives as the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington DC hosted a New Story Leadership event on July 10. Aia Khalaila, 24, described the discrimination she faces from both sides living in Jerusalem. On her way home from classes, she was attacked by a man who mistook her for an Israeli. Later she was questioned, pressed and threatened by the Israeli police who were supposed to be helping her. Khalaila feels like she is pinned between the two sides, and a victim of hatred from both Arabs and Jews. Sapir Ifergan spoke about her Moroccan origins and her family's life since moving to Israel.

New America welcomed two panels of speakers to its Washington, DC office on June 19 to discuss the refugee crisis in Syria and ongoing efforts to provide opportunities for refugee resettlement in the United States. According the United Nations Refugee Agency's Web site, the record of refugees worldwide stands at 22.5 million, including 5.3 million Palestinians, and the number of displaced persons has risen by 300,000 since last year. Twelve million Syrians are currently either displaced within the country or living as refugees outside their country.