Check out our nominees, and then vote in the poll below. And tell us who we missed in comments. (Also see our list of heroes.)
Stephen Johnson
Once upon a time, we thought Bush’s EPA chief was a harmless technocrat. Instead he turned out to be the most flaccid apparatchik in an administration groaning with them. Throughout 2008, evidence dribbled out that in denying California its waiver for tailpipe emission standards, Johnson had disregarded the advice of his staff and been directly influenced by the White House. It was so shameless Johnson eventually refused to talk to Congress about it anymore. So long—and thanks for the punny headlines.
Newt Gingrich
What passes for an Idea Man among conservatives these days, Gingrich hoodwinked gullible journalists last year with his Contract with the Earth. This year he used that unearned credibility on environmental issues to advance a campaign with the slogan “drill here, drill now, pay less.” When the apocalypse comes—and he’s doing what he can to hasten it—the only survivors will be cockroaches and Newt.
Dominic Greene
Scheming his way through the latest James Bond movie, this dastardly evil-doer engages in no end of eco-baddery. What’s he really after as he buys land in South America, and how does he earn his (spoiler alert!) unctuous end? One thing’s for sure: You mustn’t let his oh-so-subtle surname—or his eponymous Greene Planet organization—fool you. (How we long for the racier days of Pussy Galore.)
Joe Lucas
The spokesflack for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) has filled the airwaves (and blogs) with propaganda so ham-handed and transparent as to inspire a kind of perverse admiration. It takes a special kind of chutzpah to show your hack in public like that. Lucas capped his year by stepping on a PR rake, flailing around to defend blasphemous charcoal briquettes. We’ll miss him when the “clean coal” hype dissipates.
Tim Kaine
The Virginia governor was reportedly on Obama’s short list for VP, which is too bad. Kaine’s signature environmental contribution this year was to champion a massive new dirty coal plant to be built by Dominion Power, a significant campaign contributor. Hey Tim—Hansen’s talking to you.
Don Blankenship
In addition to his customary pursuits— violating mine safety laws, bullying politicians and regulators, bribing state Supreme Court judges, blowing the tops off mountains—this spring the CEO of coal giant Massey Energy was caught on tape threatening to shoot a reporter (like, with a gun). Perhaps to distract attention from that savvy PR move, he was caught on tape in November saying climate change isn’t real, “greeniacs” are “crazies,” mass transit will destroy capitalism, and his media critics are “communists” and “atheists.” Gives mustaches a bad name.
James Inhofe
Oklahoma, can we talk?
Veroes? Hillains?
We couldn’t decide whether these final three folks were heroes or villains. What do you think?
T. Boone Pickens
On one hand, he’s probably done more to make Americans take wind power seriously than anybody on the planet, including that Al guy. On the other hand, he’s got some cockamamie ideas about natural gas and a jones for eminent domain we just don’t feel comfortable putting in the hands of a Texan. Anyway, we can’t shake the feeling that this whole energy-security thing is some kind of super-genius, triple-bank-shot scheme to make eleventy kajillion (more) dollars.
Jim Rogers
The CEO of Duke Energy has been a tireless advocate for carbon legislation and utility energy-efficiency programs. Hell, he was reportedly on Obama’s short list for energy secretary. Buuuuut ... his company keeps pushing to build deadly dirty coal plants and offloading the risk for those financially disastrous choices onto its ratepayers.
Sarah Palin
This good ol’ girl descended on the political scene like a spinning disco ball into a meeting of the math club. After a period of stunned gawking, America noticed that she kills moose and wants to kill polar bears, thinks all energy is oil and all oil is in Alaska, and doesn’t seem to quite get the whole global-warming thing. Which is, y’know, bad—except that it motivated millions of progressive voters to get off their butts and go to the polls (and Tina Fey to get even funnier). Thanks, Sal! (Can we call you Sal?)
Sorry, the poll you are seeking no longer exists. If you’re in a voting mood, suggest a poll and you might just see it on the site.
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Comments
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stevenearlsalmony Posted 12:40 am
22 Dec 2008
If President-Elect Barack Obama and the splendid team of intellectually honest and morally courageous science advisors he is assembling are not able to bring about necessary change, then I do not know where we are to find such vitally needed leadership.
In some deep sense, President-Elect Obama and leaders in his new Administration are carrying the very future of children everywhere on their shoulders. They deserve our complete support.
If only we could undo the earliest years of Century XXI so that they were not filled with a colossal fool's errand, catastrophic financial failures and ecological nightmares: an unnecessary and unjustifiable war; a collapsing economy; and a human-induced, recklessly degraded environment and relentlessly dissipated planetary home.
The challenges before the human community now appear to be daunting, that is easy enough to see; nevertheless, I believe our children will behold a good-enough future. Between now and the time our children lead the world come the necessary changes, I suppose.
Godspeed.
Steven Earl Salmony
AWAREness Campaign on The Human Population,
established 2001
http://sustainabilityscience.org/content.html?contentid=1 ...
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biodiversivist Posted 5:10 am
22 Dec 2008
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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mtvyfan Posted 5:39 am
22 Dec 2008
"For as long as space endures, and for as long as living beings remain, until then may I too abide, to dispel the misery of the world." - Shantideva
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roncastle Posted 5:57 am
22 Dec 2008
Dubya wins hands down.
Cheers.
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chesahn Posted 6:56 am
22 Dec 2008
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paz Posted 2:48 pm
22 Dec 2008
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Sean Casten Posted 11:37 pm
22 Dec 2008
But does she really belong on a list with people like Johnson and Inhofe who are taking actions with global impact?
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biodiversivist Posted 12:58 am
23 Dec 2008
WASILLA, AK--In a dramatic capper to a year that already saw her son's hockey team go to district finals, a successful remodeling of the den, and her scoring of front-row tickets to a traveling production of the Broadway smash hit Les Misérables, Wasilla resident and former beauty queen Sarah Palin, 44, was chosen as the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee. The mother of five, who enjoys attending church potluck dinners with husband Todd, an unemployed commercial fisherman, reportedly "jumped at the chance" to become the second most powerful person in the country. "Oh, what a nice thing for [GOP running mate] Sarah [Palin]," said Debbie McInnes, who met Palin two years ago at an advanced step aerobics class at the Wasilla YMCA. "She's such a good person, and so pretty! I think she'd be super-enthusiastic to take on that job." Although Palin ultimately never got the chance to come within a heartbeat of ruling a global superpower and its 300 million citizens, she said she was happy enough to have beaten out the other potential Republican VP candidates, including a Nebraska receptionist and a congresswoman from Ohio with more than 20 years of political experience.
In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world
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Storm Dragon Posted 6:23 am
24 Dec 2008
If we want to save the birds, the beast, and the special wild places, we'll have to stop hating our fellow humans.
Merry Christmas!
Let the jaguars return!
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Pathos Posted 4:28 pm
24 Dec 2008
That said, without them on the ballot, my vote goes to Inhofe. Partially because he's a pollutocrat douchebag, but mostly because unlike a surprising number of other environmental villains, he won his election, which means this year counts as part of all the damage he's going to do in the future. Oh, well. If we woke up Virginia this year, maybe we can wake up Oklahoma in '14.
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Delay And Deny Posted 1:21 pm
25 Dec 2008
By blocking the free expansion of Hydrogen Technology, they have drawn out the time scale for implementation of 21st Century clean fuel.
Leave any bigotry in your quarters. There's no room for it on the Bridge. J.T.Kirk
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GonzoDon Posted 8:52 am
29 Dec 2008
The current pope -- Pope John Paul Ringo III or whoever happens to hold that seat right now -- is a criminal for encouraging an already over-populated planet to keep on over-populating.
Think about it: one hundred thousand new people to feed, clothe, and house EVERY DAY. Which inevitably destroys habitat, accelerates the production of atmospheric GHG's, and contributes to the depletion of soils, freshwater, and ocean fisheries. Among a hundred other problems.
So until the Pope encourages his followers to adopt BIRTH CONTROL and to maintain a sustainable global population, he remains Criminal #1, in my opinion.
Dubya's incomparable legacy of waste, corruption, incompetency and outright hostility to science and to the environment needs no further description.
But Newt Gingrich? Please. He's a piker by comparison.
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shehateme Posted 3:47 pm
29 Dec 2008
Today,we read about the cost of ash,just ash,from coal. People,if you believe the hype of "clean coal",I have a bridge in Wasilla that will take you to the Promise Land!!
Seriously,THERE IS NO CLEAN COAL!!
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shehateme Posted 3:53 pm
29 Dec 2008
I mean we even have shows that promote (NBC'S TLC) tha program shows that glorify having 18,count 'em,EIGHTEEN,kids!
It's just stupid.
Do they THINK what the world will be ike for the children,grandchildren,great...
No would be my guess.
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