Green Options

Though President Obama did not utter the word “environment” per se, he spoke both directly and indirectly about the major energy and environmental issues of today; more so than any of his predecessors.

Although Amtrak may be a greener choice for travel, some questions still remain about the company’s overall environmental policies. Trains are not money-makers and Amtrak is no exception. From the sounds of it, they are cutting some of their greener practices to shave a little off their expenses, but at what cost to the environment?

Bowing to pressure from environmental groups, the German science ministry has suspended a planned ocean fertilization experiment in the Southern Ocean and asked the researchers to commission an independent analysis of the project’s environmental impact before dumping anything in the ocean.

Environmental advocacy group, EcoSector, has proposed the establishment of a United States Department of Ecosystems that, according to organizers, would represent a huge increase in America’s commitment to the environment and the green economy.

Amid rising tensions with neighboring India and dealing with a resurgent Taliban along the Afghani border, Pakistan’s government is also launching a different kind of campaign - a green one.

Pakistan’s Environment Minister Hameedullah Jan Afridi has finalized a calendar of events for the upcoming year; officially deeming 2009 Pakistan’s “National Year of the Environment.”

In a press conference, Minister Afridi urged international bodies, non-governmental organizations, provincial governments and the private sector to actively participate in making 2009 an environmental success. However, the question still remains whether this is Potemkin-environmental policy or the real thing.

The government-sponsored activities of Pakistan’s National Year of the Environment include the screening of environmental documentaries, panel discussions and dialogues, planting of 10 million trees in a day to surpass a world record, seminars, exhibitions, essay-writing competitions, and walks. Throughout the year, the calendar is littered with awareness days, weeks, and months, in an effort to educate Pakistan’s citizens about the ecological consequences of their individual actions.

While Pakistan should be applauded for their efforts, their praises should not go unqualified.

There was no shortage of fodder for thoughtful political discussion in 2008. Not surprisingly, the majority of the posts receiving the most comments were directly related to the presidential election. We’ve compiled the nine most-discussed posts of 2008 so you can take a little walk down memory lane at Red, Green, and Blue.

On Thursday, Assistant Interior Secretary Lyle Laverty ordered the National Park Service to ease its existing mountain biking rules that some environmental groups claim could open up nearly 8 million acres of recommended or proposed wilderness lands in approximately 30 parks to mountain biking.

Tough auto emissions standards backed by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist cleared a hurdle when a state commission approved rules fiercely opposed by the auto industry but praised by environmentalists.

Extraction and refining heavy oil from Canadian tar sands would have a devastating impact on avian populations, according to a new report from the NRDC.

Yvo de Boer briefs the press on the strategic goals of the COP14 UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland,

Despite its less than impressive treatment of the climate change issue, the Canadian government now claims it has a plan to reduce carbon emissions, and for that reason, believes it will find common ground with an Obama administration despite differences on issues like trade.