The Top 5 Environmental Newsmakers of 2008

2008 was a year when environmental news was perhaps more prevalent than any other -- from green campaign promises to plastic bottle scares to the staycation -- but some names were in the headlines much more frequently than others. Here are five of the most environmentally newsworthy people of the year, both good and bad. Who would be on your list?

Al Gore -- Fresh off the momentum from his recent Nobel prize, Gore continued to spread his climate-change message around the country and the world. He gave a speech in Washington this past July in which he challenged the U.S. to produce 100 percent of our electricity from renewable sources within the next 10 years. Gore also continued his work with the We Campaign, which had an aggressive marketing campaign throughout the election, and later met with President-elect Obama to discuss climate change. Some were disappointed he wasn't appointed to an environmental cabinet position, while others were relieved. But even though he won't be serving Obama directly, expect Gore to stay in the spotlight.

More: Notes From Al Gore's Climate Speech

James Hansen -- Hansen, a leading NASA climate change scientist who first testified in Congress about the dangers of global warming decades ago, made headlines in the spring for two statements. The first was his research that set a goal of 350 parts per million of atmospheric carbon dioxide to prevent Earth from going beyond the tipping point for catastrophic climate events, like rising sea levels. The second was his controversial statement that oil executives should go on trial for crimes against humanity for their involvement in climate change -- a charge that was widely derided. Though the idea of trials may have been going too far, Hansen's scientific findings are respected worldwide.

T. Boone Pickens -- The Texas oilman makes the list for his widely-publicized Pickens Plan, naturally, which was met with equal parts praise and skepticism when he revealed it in July. The plan made Americans consider wind power as a viable, clean alternative to our carbon-spewing norm, and Pickens took the liberty of planning the largest wind farm in the world, in Texas. The farm was originally set to debut in 2014, but has been delayed due to the financial crisis. The plan raised some eyebrows among those who thought the billionaire as just out to make a billion more -- a claim he quickly dismisses, saying that he has plenty of money. He's shilling his plan to lawmakers, environmentalists and the media -- will there be any takers?

More: Why T. Boone Pickens Could Be the Best Hope for Wind Energy

T. Boone Pickens' Plan: Keep T. Boone Pickens Rich

Sarah Palin -- Three words put Palin on this list: "Drill, Baby, Drill." The chant, like the woman, inspired enthusiasm or venom -- certainly, no lukewarm feelings. Palin was considered an environmental disaster (or hero, for those who agreed with her scientifically unsound views), championing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, shooting wolves from a helicopter, and famously saying that the cause of global warming "kinda doesn't matter." But it was back to Alaska for Palin, at least for now, while green voters and Tina Fey enjoy the respite from her anti-science rhetoric and perky eye winks.

More: Drill, Baby, Drill: Breaking Down Sarah Palin's Speech

4 Things Sarah Palin Believes About the Environment

Palin: Cause of Global Warming 'Kinda Doesn't Matter'

Hey, Sarah Palin, Here's Why the Cause of Global Warming 'Kinda' Matters

Barack Obama -- A hero to the environmentally-minded, Obama has pledged to make climate a priority in his administration, whether through green jobs or a federal cap-and-trade system. Green job creation, especially in research and development of alternative fuels, has been a longtime part of Obama's plan for economic stimulus. After the election, Obama devoted an address to environmental issues, saying that he would invest $15 billion each year towards a clean energy future, whether solar power, wind power, next generation biofuels, or nuclear power. He's appointed a team of scientists and experts to environmental cabinet positions, and his decisions have so far been met with praise. He even wants to convert the presidential motorcade to plug-in hybrids. It's safe to say that he's off to a green start.

More: Obama's Economic Plan Calls for Green Jobs

Obama Delivers Climate Change Message

Environmental Groups Congratulate Obama on Victory

Obama's Electric Motorcade

 

Fresh Greens at U.S. News & World Report:

Green New Year's Resolutions: For the Home

Toby Keith: Secret Environmentalist?

5 Things You Should Know About China's First Electric Car

Follow Maura Judkis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/freshgreens

Comments

[binq56]

I am an Obama supporter, but he did raise the flag for "clean coal" and is open to nuclear, so calling him a friend of the environment may be premature. I am hopeful.

[Mattie]

One of the cities near where I work, just put up a completely green office complex. Right in the middle of downtown, there is a huge windmill. It's cool to drive by it everyday, and watch it work. The building is beautiful, the windmill right on a busy downtown street across from a huge shopping mall, fits right in, and makes you feel good knowing that someday this will be the norm.

[sheila]

and this is exactly where renewable power belongs - right where it's needed, not hundreds of miles away, down an environmentally harmful, GHG-spewing new powerline, where it is killing 50 acres of our precious open spaces (and many of the living things around it) for every MW of power. the REAL revolution is changing our paradigm to generating­/storing/c­onserving energy right at point of use, and that is the BEST part of renewable energy, but that might squeeze a few of the potential bucks out of Big Energy's grasp, so they are feverishly working to convince us and our leaders that remote, centralized power plants, owned by them, and profiteering powerlines, owned by them, are somehow needed and/or green, when they are neither.

we need to push back hard and insist that the US catch up with Albania in terms of basic energy policies like feed in tariffs which pay regular people to produce clean energy on their own rooftops and developed land, and which will save our open spaces and democracti­ze/stabili­ze our grid...

[mamacat]

I would like to see oil co. executives, especially the ones of the Standard Oil offshoots, admit, apologise for, and renounce the many activities that oil companies did to force our society into using petroleum for transportation during the 20th century. I am not holding my breath.

[jsgaetano]

IMO, putting oil execs on trial for crimes against humanity isn't radical, at least not a logical sense. They've been fighting a war on reality purely for personal gain, and it puts the entire world at risk. It's only radical in the sense that the "usual" way of doing things would let them off the hook with zero accountability.

If terrorists released Anthrax and wiped out a town, they would be brought to justice. But if Union Carbide releases a poison cloud and kills over ten thousand of people while they sleep... well oops, thats just an accident.

Any kind of meaningful POSITIVE change in the world is going to REQUIRE accountability, no matter who the people are.

[PlugINCarsRule]

Solar and Wind are free sources of energy. Of course to get these set up is somewhat costly it is free energy. It would cost the equivalent of 60 cents per gallon to charge and drive an electric car. The electricity to charge the car could be generated by solar or wind at least in part and in most cases totally. If all gasoline cars, trucks, and suv’s instead had plug-in electric drive trains, the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota. What a powerful resources we have neglected.Jeff Wilson has a profound new book out called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now. http://www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com Powerful, powerful book! Also, if you think electric cars are way out there in some futuristic lala land please check out the web site for a company Better Place. http://www.betterplace.com/ they are setting up infrastructures in San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland as well as the state of Hawaii to accommodate electric car use.
I think we need to rethink all these bailouts and stimulus packages. We need to use some of these billions to bail America out of it's dependence on foreign oil. Create clean cheap energy, create millions of badly needed new green collar jobs and get out from under the grip foreign oil has on us. What a win -win situation that would be for America at large