From mayors to heads of state, politicians the world over are going green. Check out our list of top achievers, then tell us which political leaders you'd nominate in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Governator has truly pumped up environmental action in California. He made the state a global leader on climate change by signing into law the landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which commits the state to cut its greenhouse-gas emissions 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050. He's also done some heavy lifting to clean up new cars and trucks sold in the state, instituted a program to track levels of chemicals in Californians' bodies, and, with other West Coast governors, pledged to protect the health of the Pacific Ocean. It's enough to make us forget Junior -- almost.
Wangari Maathai
Maathai plants seeds both literally and figuratively as the founder of the Green Belt Movement, which promotes peace and good governance through environmental protection and has inspired Kenyans to plant 30 million trees since it began in 1977. A member of the Kenyan Parliament and one-time presidential candidate, she is best known as winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace."
Ken Livingstone
The left-wing London mayor known as "Red Ken" has a new color in his palette. Aiming to make his city the greenest in the world, he's levied a tax on vehicles entering the city center during normal weekday work hours, cracking down especially hard on SUV drivers. Under his Climate Change Action Plan, London will get 25 percent of its power from more-efficient, local sources and reduce carbon emissions 60 percent within 20 years; in addition, he's pledged about $90 million in the 2008 budget for programs to fight climate change. And that's just the wonky stuff -- Livingstone has also announced plans for a housing development in East London that will produce no carbon emissions.
Helen Clark
Clark, the prime minister of New Zealand, has pledged to make Kiwiland the first carbon-neutral country by reducing emissions and offsetting the rest. New Zealand has started working toward that goal by increasing biofuel production and neutralizing the emissions of six government departments. The race is on!
Marina Silva
Born to a family of rubber tappers in the Brazilian Amazon, Marina Silva went on to graduate from university, found the independent trade-union movement, and gain election to Brazil's federal senate. In 1996, she won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her activism on behalf of the rainforest and the rubber tappers who make a sustainable living from it. Today, she is Brazil's environment minister and an avid protector of the Amazon. Due in part to her efforts, deforestation of the Brazilian rainforest has decreased by nearly 50 percent in the past two years.
David Cameron
British Conservative Party leader Cameron is challenging the green cred of the more-traditionally environmental Labor Party with his ambitious policy recommendations, which include binding annual targets for cutting carbon emissions, energy decentralization, and "frequent flyer" taxes aimed at restricting aviation. His personal life is nothing to sneeze at either: He rides his bicycle to the House of Commons and grows organic carrots in his garden.
Peter Garrett
Garrett, former frontman for outspoken Australian rock band Midnight Oil, still rocks -- and is still outspoken -- as a member of the Aussie House of Representatives and shadow minister for climate change, environment, heritage, and the arts. His previous gigs will also strike a chord with greens: he spent 10 years as president of the Australian Conservation Foundation and two years on the international board of Greenpeace, and was a founding member of the Surfrider Foundation, an ocean-advocacy group.
Greg Nickels
As mayor of Seattle, Nickels initiated the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, a group of 496 municipal leaders (so far) who have pledged their cities to meet the Kyoto Protocol target of a 7 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2012. Participating mayors, who together represent more than 64 million Americans, also urge climate action on the national level. Nickels' local goals include increasing the number of trees in the Emerald City and improving bike and public-transportation options.
Margot Wallström
As environment minister of the European Union from 1999 to 2004, Wallström aggressively sought to boost standards for chemical safety, improve air and water quality, and create detailed action plans on climate change, biodiversity, and resource preservation. She was a leader in convincing every last E.U. member to ratify the Kyoto Protocol in 2002, and an outspoken critic of the U.S.'s failure to ratify. Now, as a vice president of the European Commission, she has been active in creating sustainability reporting guidelines and figuring out how to market Europe's high environmental standards to the rest of the world. Plus, she blogs!
Stephane Dion
Canada's other Dion, the recently elected leader of the Liberal Party, has pledged to unite the quest for a better environment, social justice, and economic growth into a holistic vision of sustainability. Called by one blogger "the environmental candidate for the non-environmentalist," Dion will be in the running to become prime minister of Canada when the nation holds its next election, expected sometime this year. He has proposed tax credits for energy efficiency and pledged to make a concerted effort to meet Kyoto Protocol goals; in fact, he loves Kyoto so much, he named his dog after it. No, really!
Angela Merkel
German chancellor, former environment minister, and current leader of the G8, Merkel is an outspoken advocate for action against climate change. She was a driving force behind a recent E.U. green-energy pact, which established a union-wide goal of using 20 percent renewable energy and cutting carbon emissions 20 percent by 2020, and she pushed with all her might to get George W. Bush to say the U.S. would "consider seriously" a goal of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions 50 percent by 2050. She also acts on her principles by using compact fluorescent light bulbs in her home (though her comment that they're "not quite bright enough" might not have helped the cause).
Barbara Boxer
The chair of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has called climate change "the greatest challenge of our generation" and is a cosponsor of one of the strongest climate bills in Congress. The California Democrat has long been an environmental champion in the Senate, coming out swinging to prevent drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, coauthoring a 2001 law to help clean up and redevelop contaminated industrial land, and leading the charge against toxic gasoline additive MTBE.
Xie Zhenhua
Xie, the Chinese vice minister of state development and reform and the former environment minister, has been a key player in pushing to make China greener. He has promoted environmental protection as a national policy and sustainable practices for China's rapidly expanding economy. His work was honored with the United Nations' Sasakawa Environment Prize in 2003, a monetary award that Xie invested in environmental education in some of the country's poorest areas.
Stavros Dimas
As the European commissioner for the environment, Greece's Dimas has forged plans to cut airline emissions and push new clean-air rules. He also presided over the adoption of REACH, the European Union's groundbreaking chemical regulation system, and he doesn't shy away from criticizing the United States for obstructing action against climate change. Other political leaders have pressed him to stem the steady flow of environmental legislation, but Dimas pushes on.
Rocky Anderson
A green mayor in a "red" state, Salt Lake City's Rocky Anderson has remade his municipality during two terms in office. Anderson outlined a plan to lower the city government's carbon dioxide emissions 21 percent between 2001 and 2012, and met those targets six years ahead of schedule. Salt Lake now has an improved public transit system, including light rail, and requires that new and renovated city-owned or -managed buildings be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program.
Runners-Up
Eliot Spitzer
Since taking office as New York's governor in January, Spitzer got right to work greening the place up. He's started with a complete retrofitting of the 39-room governor's mansion, overhauling everything from the light bulbs to the lawn mowers, and has his sights set on more state buildings for the next round of greening. Prior to his election, he spent eight years crusading for environmental protection as New York's attorney general, suing the Bush administration numerous times over failure to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions, mercury pollution from power plants, pesticide use in public housing, and efficiency standards for appliances.
Bob Brown
This Australian senator is the leader and co-founder of the Aussie Green Party and has long been a rabble-rouser down under for environmental issues and human rights. In 1983, he was arrested while protesting a dam, spent 19 days in jail, and was elected to the Tasmanian Parliament on the day of his release. More recently, he is involved in a lawsuit against Gunns Limited, an Australian forest-products company seeking to build a pulp mill in Tasmania.
Michael Bloomberg
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled a comprehensive, 25-year sustainability plan on Earth Day this year, aiming, among other things, to reduce the city's greenhouse-gas emissions 30 percent by the year 2030. His numerous green initiatives include switching the city's taxi fleet to hybrids and supporting installation of the world's first free-flow tidal-power turbines off Roosevelt Island. Will the Big Apple soon be known as the Green Apple?
Henry Waxman
This California representative is championing the toughest climate bill in the U.S. House: the Safe Climate Act, introduced in mid-March, which calls for an emissions freeze at 2009 levels and gradual reductions through 2050 to bring the U.S. to 80 percent below 1990 levels. Waxman's been a consistent leader on environmental issues, fighting for pesticide regulations, the Clean Air Act, the Lead Contamination Control Act, and communities' rights to know about pollution levels.
Tell us which green leaders you'd vote for in comments below.
Kate Sheppard contributed to this list.
Copenhagen climate summit (part 1): the expectations
City preps and countries posture ahead of Copenhagen talks
Comments
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Lloyd Wright Posted 1:26 am
27 Jun 2007
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kubera jones Posted 3:21 am
27 Jun 2007
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arob Posted 9:47 am
27 Jun 2007
http://www.ecovote.org/scorecards/2006/
That's actually quite good for a Republican, but not nearly enough to merit being in the top 15 green politicians. The global warming bills he's signed definitely have been progressive (he did have a role in shaping the legislation, but perhaps more credit should go to the legislature). The publicity he's given the climate movement has been phenomenal, and he's been blunt in criticizing the Bush administration's criminal climate negligence. However, his overall environmental record is not that good.
I would suggest Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator, for the list. He has a great voting record, and introduced the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act along with Barbara Boxer. I saw him speak in Hanover, NH for the Step It Up rally, and was really impressed.
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sb Posted 2:33 pm
27 Jun 2007
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norberto Posted 1:24 am
28 Jun 2007
Just a thought !
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philu Posted 3:57 am
28 Jun 2007
under her leadership our emmissions/forest clearing/waterways pollution stats have gone through the roof..
her government have also been wholesale 'dairy-pimps'..
actively encouraging the conversion of farms to dairy units..(thus ensuring much higher pollution/farm 'run-off' problems..)
and don't get me started on our ongoing record on animal welfare..
and perhaps as a clincher for you..
after the last election..after campaigning for the green party as favoured coalition partner..
clark instead plumped to coalesce with the two most reactionary/climate-change denial parties in new zealand..
in fact your nomination of clark has many here in new zealand..both laughing and crying at the same time..
(part of the laughter is for your use of what is generally considered here a photographic abberation..her 'glam/soft-porn' shot..
where the physical realities of helen clark are as different to this picture..
as her greenwash/spin is to the realities of this 'green leader'
and if helen clark is one of the top 15 green political leaders..
than we are in more trouble than i thought..
vegankiwiguy..
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estark Posted 4:05 am
28 Jun 2007
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Jwirwin Posted 12:54 am
29 Jun 2007
The first name that came to mind was Dennis Kucinich. He has been a Green politician for a long time. Next would be whoever created the Green Chicago initiative. And what about Ralph Nader?
We need a Nobel Prize for Environmental Leadership.
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Delay And Deny Posted 1:20 am
29 Jun 2007
Remember when Arnold ripped the the hydrogen fuel cell out of his abdomen and threw it out of the car window and it exploded?
That was in T-3, from 2003. Arnold is like so ahead of the times.
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Jwirwin Posted 3:41 am
29 Jun 2007
Why no mention of Al Gore? Back in 1990 he wrote the Foreword to "Climate in Crisis: The Greenhouse Effect and What we can do" by Albert K Bates. He has been concerned about Global Warming for a long time.
And, no doubt he is making a huge difference.
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furanku Posted 9:05 am
29 Jun 2007
at least you managed to sneak in 2.
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marksan Posted 2:26 pm
29 Jun 2007
Another item: "The federal government is chronically unable to sustain initiatives once they are launched." -- 2005 Report of the [Canadian] Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Sept. 29 2005 (when Dion had been environment minister for almost 15 months.)
You should have listed Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party who's widely recognized as the most environmentally conscious party leader in Canadian Federal politics, even by Greenpeace and the Canadian Sierra Club.
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abqjudy Posted 2:51 am
30 Jun 2007
He is an elected politician, with a proven track record on implemented environmental policies designed to get us more quickly to a renewable energy status.
This is not an easy task, and much remains to be accomplished. Many politicians and social movers are like Bush. They come in late to say some buzz words that are just cover for destruction. However, as ever, the best is often the greatest enemy of the better. Can't do everything? Then do nothing and sit back and criticize, even excoriate those who accomplish much.
Bill Richardson is the real deal and deserves recognition for his work toward energy independence, peace, and financial stability for our state and nation.
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johnb Posted 9:49 pm
02 Jul 2007
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J L Posted 10:42 am
03 Jul 2007
The carbon neutrality goal has raised the profile of environmental issues hugely. Emissions trading won't be far away, the public sector is already starting to reduce its emissions, Labour is supporting waste minimisation legislation, homes are being insulated all over the country, rail is going
to be electrified in Auckland, public transport spending is up hugely, regional fuel taxes are coming in, urban design work is picking up etc...
This is, of course, not to mention the work Helen did to get climate change on the APEC agenda last year, focusing the attention of some of the biggest developing economies in the world.
I for one think that she has done (and is doing) a fantastic job when it comes to environmental issues both in New Zealand and, to the extent it is possible for her, in the world.
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Philip Booth Posted 1:51 am
04 Jul 2007
She said: "People are increasingly disillusioned with the three main parties and are looking for a progressive alternative which genuinely has social and environmental justice at its heart. While the other parties might be beginning to wake up, to the issue of climate change only the Greens have both the radical policies needed and the political commitment to deliver them. Cameron and Brown may talk green - but its only the Green Party that's doing green, as an increasing number of people up and down the country are realising."
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kamon Posted 5:03 am
04 Jul 2007
He implemented numerous sustainable actions at a large scale including: an incredible mass transit system which is used by 85% of citizens and an urban development pattern that whole heartedly supports it, the purchase of floodplain land for use as parks (54m2 of green space per citizen), and a municipal waste removal system exchanging food for waste in the barrios of the city. Curitiba has been used as an urban planning and "ecocity" example worldwide.
The handful of initiatives mentioned above go beyond simply being green policy, to being actions that are sustainable environmentally, socially and economically.
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johnnz Posted 2:32 pm
06 Jul 2007
The credibility of this list is seriously undermined by the inclusion of Helen Clark. I don't normally agree with PhilU but he is absolutely right. Clark pays lip service to the environment and uses it only as a justification to increase her governments already obscene tax rate, with no concern for environmental outcome.
After 8 years in power New Zealand's carbon foot print has soared and her government has committed to "carbon neutrality.....at some stage yet to be defined". This is a total cop out. The complete disdain with which they treat the Green party in New Zealand more accurately reveals her Govts true attitude towards the environment.
Ask Russell Norman or Jeanette Fitzsimmons how green Helen Clark is....they'll tell you.
The irony in New Zealand is that the conservative party, National, actually has greener policies than the socialist Labour party she leads. National aren't perfect by any stretch, but they have a quantifiable goal...50% emissions cut by 2050. That's policy.
Carbon neutrality....by when Helen?
Her inclusion in this list is a disgrace to the other leaders who are making meaningful contributions to environmental efforts worldwide.
The mileage her Labour party are trying to get in he press from her inclusion in this list is as pathetic as it is dishonest.
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Storm Dragon Posted 5:47 pm
09 Jul 2007
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Buckywunder Posted 2:35 am
18 Jul 2007
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marylounoble Posted 9:36 am
25 Jul 2007
Marylou Noble
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madaboutcows Posted 12:54 am
01 Aug 2007
However, please tell me the inclusion of David Cameron is a joke? Yes, he may cycle the short distance to work at the House of Commons - but his driver follows behind him in his car with his belongings!
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Miriam Weinstein Posted 1:44 am
17 Aug 2007
I am glad for his conversion, because his initial policies were not very green despite RFK Jr.'s endorsement of him.
That said, he is taking public positions now that are moving him and the need to take action for the environment into the limelight. So, I guess he is finally using his celebrity to do some good for California (long overdue) and the planet.
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amc89 Posted 7:13 am
17 Aug 2007
For more on this topic, and the environmental implications of the commercial seal hunt in Canada, visit:
Harp seal populations in the northwestern Atlantic: modelling populations with uncertainty-a 2006 report by Dr. Stephen Harris, Carl D. Soulsbury & Graziella Iossa, School of Biological Science, University of Bristol, UK
http://www.hsicanada.ca/pdfs/Harp-seal-populations-in-the ...
The Canadian Seal Hunt: No Management and No Plan
http://www.greenpeace.ca/e/feature/seals/seals_report_030 ...
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davedenali Posted 11:46 am
07 Sep 2007
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John former Marine Posted 10:53 am
19 Nov 2007
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John former Marine Posted 12:25 pm
19 Nov 2007
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racc Posted 1:01 pm
06 Feb 2008
Ken Livingston would have been a better choice for the top.
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Smaug Posted 2:06 pm
12 Mar 2008
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dotcommodity Posted 2:16 pm
31 Mar 2008
We are lucky to get 7% so 70% is quite an achievement
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Toji Posted 12:07 am
01 Jun 2008
She supports the coal-lobby in building over 20 new coal-power-plants in Germany. She also stays the course when it comes to giving them pollution-licenses from the cap-and-trade system for free, which makes up for billions of additional profits for the coal-industry.
She supports the nuclear-lobby in their effort to halt the exit-plan for nuclear energy, which was pushed through by the previous government.
She (successfully) lobbied Brussels (for the good of the German auto-lobby) to weaken the planned fuel-efficiency standards on cars.
Her government introduced quota for biofuels with the result of destroying rain forest to grow the oil in brasil and indonesia.
Several other concepts, like a CO2-orientated car-tax, more fuel efficient cars for her ministers, better insulation in homes etc. all fell apart in recent months or came short of what she promised. For example, the new insulation standards for buildings will only apply to newly built objects, not to old buildings, which obviously means giving up the biggest potential to save energy.
Her party is big friend with big money and always tried to stop or weaken environmental regulation (recycling standards, forest protection, catalyzers, highway vs. railway and so forth...) all through until recently, when becoming green became popular.
But even today, she only pays lipservice to the environmental cause. Her actual policies at home have no real concept and in some questions, as I mentioned above, she just simply acts in the opposite direction.
Therefore: If Merkel is a green politician, Grist must be color blind or uninformed! Remove her as soon as possible!
When it comes to green politicians, look out for Hans-Josef Fell or Hermann Scheer, two real pioneers and visionaries. And in general, the German Green Party is much much greener than the industry-dominated CDU of Mrs. Merkel.
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titobundito Posted 3:10 am
20 Jun 2008
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robert693 Posted 6:58 am
12 Sep 2008
"The first name that came to mind was Dennis Kucinich. He has been a Green politician for a long time. Next would be whoever created the Green Chicago initiative."
Dennis Kucinich and Richard Daley of Chicago are not mentioned because they don't fit into the neat package of the sunbelt/westcoast being the "progressive" part of the country as opposed to the extremely ignored "flyover" zones like Ohio and Chicago where there are progressive things happening all of the time, and in many cases where there are states and cities taking the lead on such issues! But I guess that everybody knows that Ohio and Chicago are dirty old rustbelt places that only deserve contempt. They threw a couple of New Yorkers in there to throw a bone to the people who happen to live there and sign also their paychecks!
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democracyisdissent Posted 7:59 am
08 Nov 2008
Modest green proposals does not make one the greenest politician, especially if those proposals were offered by democrats, and California is one of the most polluted states in the nation.
Also, Bloomsberg is a corporate tool. He supports green technology if it brings back large profits. Did you not see what Bloomsberg did to the recycling centers in NYC? Or the coops for the homeless? He got rid of them because they "cost too much money." In order to be green, one must put the environment over profits.
Barbara Boxer is moderately green, but she does not deserve to be on this list. It is shameful to not see Dennis Kucinich on this list.
This list more accurately resembles a popularity contest than ranking of green politicians. I actually laughed at most of the suggestions. Merkel? funny... Arnold? Hilarious...
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