Author: Pablo Valerio

  • Buying a Diesel Car Today is Selfish and Irresponsible

    Buying a Diesel Car Today is Selfish and Irresponsible

    We all know that pollution, like tobacco, kills! We also know that diesel fuel is extremely dirty. Unfortunately, until a few years ago, the automobile industry had deceived us into believing that diesel was as clean or cleaner than gasoline. Volkswagen, the German automaker caught installing cheating devices to pass emissions tests, went as far […]

  • Barcelona Needs Swift Action Against Pollution

    The capital of Catalunya is suffering from persistent high pollution due to car density and the largest number of motorcycles of any European city. City administrators, while acknowledging the seriousness of the problem, have been unwilling to take any action that would upset drivers. This week I was pleasantly surprised to see a new campaign on […]

  • Uber drivers are helping company kill their own jobs

    Uber needs only a few more years to start its driverless mobility services. Meanwhile its million-plus self-employed drivers are providing the company with money, data, and future customers before their jobs get permanently ditched. The company’s latest valuation, reported by the Wall Street Journal, is $68 billion. Its coffers are full and being used to […]

  • Apple Pay just arrived in Spain, maybe a good thing for iPhone users, but not for everyone else

    iPhone and Apple Watch owners in Spain are probably happy to finally be able to flash their devices while paying at most stores, but merchants and ultimately customers will have to cover the cost. With less pomp and ceremony than in other countries, Apple Pay has made its third appearance in continental Europe. While the popular […]

  • Susan Etlinger: We are at a critical turning point about data

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) is coming and in big waves. But the way it functions, analyzes, and makes decisions without human input is already affecting the lives of billions of people. We all need to understand the basic benefits and dangers of the technology to make sure AI become an useful tool. That was the main topic […]

  • SoftBank/ARM Deal: Political Hurdles Ahead?

    SoftBank/ARM Deal: Political Hurdles Ahead?

    The deal could also face hard scrutiny by the European Commission, which is now becoming more critical about consolidation in the technology sector. This week’s biggest business news is the £24.3 billion ($32b) proposed acquisition of ARM technologies by the Japanese group SoftBank. While the UK government initially praised the deal as an indication of […]

  • Sadiq Khan asks Volkswagen to pay £2.5m in lost congestion charge

    Mayor of London Sadiq Khan says 80,000 VW owners have not paid congestion charges for years because their cars were marketed as cleaner. Now that the world knows otherwise, he thinks Volkswagen should pay up. Khan recently wrote to Volkswagen asking it to compensate London and its residents for the damage caused by the higher emissions […]

  • Barcelona tackles its traffic, pollution with parking policies and superblocks

    Barcelona tackles its traffic, pollution with parking policies and superblocks

    Cities of the Future talks to Barcelona’s mobility guru, Mercedes Vidal, about how the high pollution levels that are pushing the city to rethink heavy traffic flows, provide faster more efficient public transport and hike up parking fees. Last week, the city of Madrid had to trigger its high-pollution protocol Level 2 due to dangerous levels […]

  • Free Public Transport: a Good Idea?

    If public transport were free in your city, would you leave your car at home? That was one question the Tallinn city government was about to answer last year when it introduced free public transport for all residents of the Estonian capital. The main benefits the city hoped to gain from such a dynamic move […]

  • Sadiq Khan Pledges to Clean Up London’s Toxic Air

    The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced on Friday (May 13) that he will launch a formal policy consultation in a matter of weeks on a major package of measures to tackle air pollution in London. The new Mayor made the announcement during a visit to Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School, in Aldgate, […]