Top 10 Environmental Successes of 2008

Oct 23 2008

Top 10 Environmental Successes of 2008

Published by Steve N. Lee at 8:37 pm under changing the world, climate change, conservation, deforestation, environment, global warming, globalization, human rights

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Well, it seems good news isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

Why?

There’s so much doom and gloom everywhere at the moment, I figured I’d spread a little joy last week by delivering a batch of environmental success stories from around the globe.

Strangely, according to my blog stats, that post was one of the least popular posts I’ve ever produced! (As is immediately obvious to anyone by how few comments it received.)

I know many people love to revel in other people’s misery, not to mention it’s misery that the media force-feeds us all on a daily basis, but this was a really unexpected outcome.

Let’s see how this week’s bumper crop of good news stories fares as it finishes off the top 20 countdown.

However, I should warn you, there’ll be at least one story that makes your mouth gape in disbelief and another that will initially have you wondering why it’s listed.

Let all be revealed…

10	Desert Oasis
	The Sahara Forest Project proposes combining Concentrated Solar Power and Seawater Greenhouses to produce renewable energy, water and food in one of the hottest places on earth. The project will create fresh water for crops and power cities both in Africa and Europe. As an added bonus, it will combat desertification.

9	Saving the Everglades
	In one of the biggest environmental acquisitions in U.S. history, Florida will buy 187,000 acres of land for $1.75 billion. This land will be allowed to revert to marshes and waterways, returning the incredible Everglades ecosystem to its former glory.

8	Poorest Nation Builds Biggest Wind Farm
	Okay, so it may not be the poorest economically, but you wouldn’t think that when you see it in the news. Ethiopia is only ever featured by the mainstream media when there are swathes of pot-bellied people lying in the dirt, dying of starvation. Well, now it’s building the biggest wind farm in Africa which will supply a full 15% of the its energy needs. Isn’t that a kick in the pants to rich Western nations - when poor countries can embrace green technology to such an extent, why are we taking our pretty time?


7	President Bush - Eco-Warrior Supreme
	Hey, seriously. The guy is the most environment conscious, green activist on the planet. And that’s official! Almost. President Bush wants to protect 891,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean, an area larger than Texas and Alaska combined. This will protect some of the world’s most bio-diverse coral reefs and habitat: one survey found 19 types of whales and dolphins, the highest density of sharks in the Pacific, and 250,000 seabirds. If this goes ahead, President Bush will have established environmental protections for more of the Earth’s surface than anyone in history. “What?! Steve, you’re joking, man!” Sorry, that’s true! Who’d have thought it, huh?

6	Oil Builds World’s Biggest Wind Farm
	Who says Oil is bad for the Environment? Oil multi-billionaire T Boone Pickens is errecting 2,700 turbines in Texas over the next four years, creating the world’s biggest wind farm five times bigger than the world’s current biggest. When finished, 4,000 megawatts will power one million homes.

5	China Bans the Bag
	Amongst other problems, plastic bags clog waterways and sewers, are harmful to animals, and take hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years to break down. This year China banned free plastic bags. China had been using a staggering three billion plastic bags PER DAY, costing an annual 37 million barrels of crude oil to produce. The ban’s added benefit, particularly for China’s many poor, is that the price of free plastic bags used to be incorporated into the price of food: now food prices should be lower.

4	Rainforest Rescue
	Indonesia is initiating a first-of-its-kind project to lock up 100 million tons of carbon dioxide in rainforest - the equivalent of 50 million flights from London to Sydney. The scheme will protect 1.8 million acres of rainforest in northern Sumatra, saving not only the environment, but endangered species such as tigers, elephants and orangutans.

3	Greening The Whole World
	After establishing The Clean Technology Fund and the Strategic Climate Fund, The World Bank estimates G8 nations will donate $4 billion to $5 billion to help developing nations switch to clean-energy, so curbing carbon emissions and helping poor countries adapt to climate change.

2	Cow Crap - Saviour of the Universe!
	No fooling. The humble cow is going to save us all. How? By turning our… ‘waste’… not just into clean, fresh drinking water, but by turning cow… ‘waste’… into clean, green electricity. From the inventor of the Segway, Dean Kamen’s Slingshot can run on dung and turn puddles, seawater, even urine into drinking water (up to 1000 litres per day) or provide electricity to power basic appliances. I know many of you will be EXTREMELY PUZZLED to see this story grab such a high spot, but… Not only will the Slingshot save the environment by providing clean energy from a truly ‘green’ fuel in places where antiquated, gas-guzzling, pollution-belching machinery could be the norm, but it will save lives: every year in the Third World, millions of people die through drinking contaminated water. Addressing environmental and human rights issues simultaneously… could this be the greatest invention of all time? Think what a blessing this device could be if it was installed in every Third World community in the world. And that’s why it hits the top three!

1	The Amazon… Saved?
	Come on, what other story could possibly deserve the number one spot? The Brazilian government says deforestation of the Amazon will end by 2015. They’ll achieve this through a two pronged attack: Firstly, an enormous tree planting campaign will be undertaken to ‘rebuild’ the rainforest increasing the planted forest from 5.5 million hectares to 11 million. Secondly, they’re going to sue the top 100 illegal loggers. Environment minister, Carlos Minc said, “We’re going to blow all 100 of them out of the water and then some.” Sadly, we all know corruption and greed are at the heart of deforestation, not least from those with the power to stop it. Let’s hope this proves to be the turning point and not merely another hollow gesture.

Okay, that’s your lot. Enough good news to quash even the most voracious of appetites.

Feel free to share your personal favourites in the comments below. (Though listing too many urls may see your comment get caught by my spam filter!)

So go. See. Feel. Live.
Steve

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35 Responses to “Top 10 Environmental Successes of 2008”

# Joycey Berryon 23 Oct 2008 at 9:05 pm

Thanks for sharing all of these wonderful environmental successes of 2008. Great blog Steve.
# Steve N. Leeon 24 Oct 2008 at 11:03 am

Glad you liked it, Joycey. Thanks for stopping by.
Have a great weekend,
Steve
# Carolyn Tonahillon 24 Oct 2008 at 7:15 pm

Very interesting read…and not just one, but several surprises. My personal favorite is the ‘George Bush-Eco Warrior’ one…thinking about our ‘legacy’ now, ‘eh? Thanks, Steve, for providing this resource. Also enjoyed reading a wee bit about your new thriller…sounds great!
# Erikon 24 Oct 2008 at 7:27 pm

Great summary of the environmental triumphs of 2008. I honestly NEVER expected to see Bush responsible for anything but destruction and war. Definitely learned a few things. Thanks Steve!
# TERESA MAC TAVISHon 24 Oct 2008 at 8:31 pm

GOOD AFTERNOON STEVE,

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL INFO,
AND FOR SHARING, HAVE A WONDERFL WEEKEND MY FRIEND.,
GREAT BLOG,

HUGS TERESA
# Vik Bagaion 24 Oct 2008 at 8:37 pm

Great cheer on a miserable weekend. You did good. Thank you
# Steve N. Leeon 24 Oct 2008 at 8:43 pm

Yes, Carolyn, good old George, huh? Who’d ever have thought it? All the destruction, death, and mayhem people associate him with and there he is, thinking of our wellbeing all the time! Kinda…

Thanks for your kind words about my book, too. It is going down very well, particularly as it deals with the US Presidential election so it’s timely, and because it’s got some great human rights/environmental themes, which make it unusual for a thriller.

And you were surprised as well, eh, Erik? That Bush, huh? Oh, he’s a one, isn’t he? But really, I’m pleased you found the post interesting. It took considerable research to pull such a post together, as you can imagine, so it’s gratifying to know that people are finding it informative. Thanks, Erik.

Thank you, Teresa. You’re very welcome. I’m pleased you enjoyed it. You have a great weekend, too.

That goes for all of you - enjoy a wonderful weekend,
Steve
# Steve N. Leeon 24 Oct 2008 at 8:45 pm

Hey, Vik, you almost sneaked that one in as I was logging off! Thank you. And a great weekend to you to, my friend.
Steve
# Margaret Hartleyon 24 Oct 2008 at 9:16 pm

Come on Steve- GEORGE BUSH !! It’s the biggest surprise ever and after 8 yrs of him- I can’t help but wonder why? There has got to be an angle for him to make money somehow or maybe something to be gained.
# Cheryl Steeleon 24 Oct 2008 at 11:58 pm

Great read! Great achievements! My favorite kind of news! Thanks Steve
# Anneon 25 Oct 2008 at 12:35 am

Hiya Steve :-)
So nice to read some good news .. lapped it up.
Will share to my facebook account which has 600+ friends.
Always nice to have a good news spreader… if you have a FB account, please consider adding me as a friend… http://profile.to/annegoddard
then you can post good news direct to my profile :-)
sending happy Hugz from Magnetic Island, Australia
# pamelaon 25 Oct 2008 at 2:13 am

That is so wonderful
# Elainnaon 25 Oct 2008 at 9:26 am

Your environmental success stories constitute some of the best reasons why I should not give up on humanity just yet. Naturally, my favourites are about the wind farms in Ethiopia. I have several neighbours from Ethiopia and I can’t want to tell them. Incidentally, real change & innovation on a mass scale is far less likely to come from a wealthy and/or secure country than a marginalized one. Its been my observation that comfortable communities and people are less likely to welcome change , than desperate ones!

The one which really caught my imagination Steve was the brilliant Sahara Forest One. I lived on the desert for about 11 years and remember pouring water down pipes to reach the roots of my miniature fruit trees. The trees did very well and I didn’t waste any water. (the latter was a cardinal sin, since we had to haul all our own water and make it last as long as possible)

I do appreciate your research and excellent writing. Thanks for the good news!
P.S. Your book, “What If” arrived today and I’m looking forward to a good read!
# Steve N. Leeon 25 Oct 2008 at 1:28 pm

Margaret, tell me about it! George W. Bush an environmentalist? No way. Except… the stats are there for all to see. Weird, I know!

If only I could supply this kind of good news post every week, Cheryl. Sadly, that’s impossible. But I will try every so often, so we don’t all lose hope!

Thanks for spreading the word, Anne. Much appreciated. The more we raise awareness the sooner we can make the world a better place.

No, I don’t have a Facebook profile yet but when I do, you can be sure I’ll send you a friend request! (Magnetic Island? Sounds an intriguing place!)

Thanks everyone. Have a great weekend,
Steve
# Steve N. Leeon 25 Oct 2008 at 1:41 pm

Glad you liked it, Pamela. Thanks for commenting.

You’re right about change, Elainna. But don’t I think one reason we are seeing stories like these is because the ‘big boys’ have realised there’s money to be made. And Godforbid they should miss out on satiating their greed! I think once the news spreads that there’s decent money to be made in alternative energy then we’ll see far more Western corporations jumping on board to grab their share. Greed working in our favour for once!

Yes, I liked the Ethiopia story. Glad you appreciated it. Hope it makes your neighbours smile.

I’ve only ever spent a couple of days in a desert - the Mojave. Sadly, while interesting, it wasn’t the sand dune strewn wilderness I was imagining. I’d like to see ‘real’ desert like the Sahara some day, or go somewhere like Namibia where they have desert elephants!

I sincerely hope you enjoy my book, Elainna. From what you’ve said in comments, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the environmental and human rights aspects as much as the story itself. (It is strange how some people are enjoying it as a straight thriller while others are taking so much more from it. Strange but gratifying.)

Thanks for your comments and kind words. Enjoy your weekend,
Steve
# Stephanieon 25 Oct 2008 at 10:14 pm

Its always great to read positive stories that involve the environment. I’m not sure I buy the claims that the rainforest will be saved by 2015, but the steps seem to be in the right direction. Great list!
# Wai Minon 26 Oct 2008 at 2:23 am

Hello Steve,

Great post, great read!

BTW, I din’t know President Bush was so environmental-conscious, but I knew Al Gore was. =)

Have a nice day Steve!

Wai Min
# Steve N. Leeon 26 Oct 2008 at 11:56 am

Stephanie, as I said, we all know it’s greed that’s at the heart of the rainforest problem (and most problems, come to that) so, yes, the right measures are being put in place but it’s still a case ‘watch this space’ as opposed to breaking out the champers!

Wai Min - no one did! And we still don’t. It’s really hard to believe but that’s what the figures say.

Thanks for dropping by both of you. Hope your weekends are going well,
Steve
# Kent Butleron 26 Oct 2008 at 2:29 pm

Thanks for some good news, Steve - Lord knows we need it!
I fear there must be a hook in the Chinese story, however - somehow they will incorporate sending the US poisoned foodstuffs or dangerous products into banning plastic bags… Chinese junk: It isn’t just a boat anymore!
# Evelyn Garciaon 26 Oct 2008 at 10:54 pm

Steve, what about all the toxins that go down our drains everyday? Even vitamins and RX’s that are not absorbed end up in water treatment plants and still are not fully removed and we end up getting them in our drinking water. Join the WHY CIRCLE, be a part of the movement to have healthier homes and a healthier planet!
# Paul Carringtonon 27 Oct 2008 at 7:17 am

Steve, let me start out saying I’m sorry I haven’t read in a while. Been super busy month.

I love that you put some good news up! As a species we have an incredibly long way to go to change the system we set up to fail, but it can be done and every little bit helps.

I’m a cynic and can’t believe I just wrote those words, but I am not a pessimist. I see the bad, but I truly believe we are capable of doing better things.
# Elainnaon 27 Oct 2008 at 9:56 am

Dear Steve,

The common definition of desert is a region that receives less than 25cm of rain a year on average.
When people think of deserts, the following image comes to their minds : hot and arid land, vast expanses of sand, soil of reddish brown color, a sky of brilliant blue, no or very few plants, cacti, spiny leaves and camel is the only animal that they can think of.

The truth is not like that. It is not very common to find sand in a desert, but small rocks, pebbles and loose gravel on the surface layer instead. Only 15% of the world’ s desert surface is pure sand. (Parts of the Sahara and Arabia desert)

Desert occupies about one fifth to one third of the earth’ s surface. The rainfall pattern is not a seasonal one. Instead, rain usually falls in the form of sudden, violent thunderstorms. There may be several storms in a year or none for several years. The ” average rainfall each year” is not calculated based on one year’ s rainfall, but on the total rainfall in a long period of time.

In other words, my friend The Mohave Desert is a “real” desert. I actually lived on the upper Mohave (about 4,000 ft.) for those 11 years and can definitely attest to sudden, violent storms there.
# Steve N. Leeon 27 Oct 2008 at 10:24 am

Elainna, don’t worry, I appreciate the Mojave is a true desert - that’s why we visited it. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of desert we were hoping for.

That said, we absolutely loved The Hole In The Wall area. We only had a vew hours there but we were blown away by its beauty - the rock formations and the plant life. And not least because it was in the middle of a desert! Yes, if we go back to the Mojave that’s the first place we’ll head for.

Apart from that we were surprised to see that the Mojave has more Joshua trees than Joshua Tree National Park.

As far as sand dunes go, I much preferred Death Valley. The sand dune area is very small but the dunes themselves are stunning.

Anyway, thanks for all your information on deserts as I’m sure it will be an eye-opener for many people.
Steve
# Steve N. Leeon 27 Oct 2008 at 10:36 am

Yes, Kent, the Chinese are a puzzle. They care so little for so many areas of human rights and conservation, then they pull off something like this and take us all by surprise. Unfathomable, huh?

Glad you liked the good news. Yes, we need it sorely, don’t we?

Thanks for taking the time to comment, Kent.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Evelyn, but this post is purely good news, so I don’t want to start bringing everyone down immediately by discussing negative subjects. Hope you understand.

Hey Paul, please, no apologies necessary, my friend. I’m simply glad people find my posts worthy of their time. Anyway, I hope your month wasn’t too punishing.

Yes, we all need something positive, something to inspire us once in a while, don’t we? I’m pleased you enjoyed all the good news I was able to uncover.

As for cynicism and pessimism? I know just what you mean, as I’m sure most readers do.

Nice to hear from you again, Paul. Call back when you can but, really, no apologies next time!

Thanks everyone. Hope your week starts well,
Steve
# Emmaon 27 Oct 2008 at 2:27 pm

Keep up the good news! Posts like these are really important!
# Steve N. Leeon 28 Oct 2008 at 10:16 am

Glad you found it interesting, Emma.

Yes, I’ll run such good news posts every once in a while to give people a well-needed boost!

Thanks for stopping by,
Steve
# Rebecca Schneideron 28 Oct 2008 at 11:44 am

Wow! This is a terrific post, Steve. I’m glad you introduced yourself to me on Care2. I’ll have to stop by here often or subscribe to your email updates. I tried to find your book to borrow at a library somewhere, but I see it isn’t there yet. It sounds fascinating so I guess I’ll have to buy a copy. :-) It’ll have to wait until my next payday, though. lol

Quite a great bit of information in here. I was surprised and impressed by the various bits. It constantly amazes me that we haven’t been able to move to cleaner, better energy sources and technology when it is already available. If I make it into Congress, you can bet I’ll push for that kind of thing!

Thanks again and keep up the good work!
# Steve N. Leeon 28 Oct 2008 at 3:49 pm

Thanks for your interest in my book, Rebecca. I’m thrilled you believe it sounds fascinating. It is getting some great reviews, as you’ve no doubt seen, so I’m sure you’ll love it when you read it.

Yes, the email updates service is exactly what it says it is - just one simple email that arrives a few hours after a new post goes live. Many people use the service without any problems.

I’m pleased you enjoyed this post. And, yes, I know just what you mean about us STILL not having any real alternative to oil despite knowing what we were doing to the planet and that oil would run out one day. If you haven’t already, you might like to read this post:

http://www.lionsledbysheep.com/2008/09/11/oil/

Thanks for stopping by, Rebecca. Have a great week. And be sure to let me know if you enjoy my book!
Steve
# Janineon 11 Nov 2008 at 11:32 pm

Hi,
thanks for some good news. I wish it was as easy to hear good news on the TV as it is to hear all the paranoid, negative and sad things. But now we have the internet! Rob Breszney has just linked to this site in his newsletter, so I hope your work will keep spreading.

Cheers,
Janine.

Ipswich, Australia.
# Julie Kon 12 Nov 2008 at 12:51 am

Amen! I am linking this to my brand-new blog which is a testament to all things positive.. that don’t suck. Thanks for the info! And all you positive lovers, please read me at poptimist.typepad.com!

cheers!
julie
# Steve N. Leeon 12 Nov 2008 at 11:08 am

Glad I could brighten your day, Janine.

Yes, the media is 90% doom and gloom, isn’t it? No matter the depressing subjects I cover, I always try to leave the reader with a glimmer of hope that we can change things - if only we’ll get off our lazy, selfish butts and actually do something!

Thanks for dropping in. (I’m just going to google Rob Breszney.)

Thanks, Julie. I’m pleased that you find the post not just postive, but that it doesn’t suck! ;-)

Good luck with your blog.

Steve
# Gregon 22 Nov 2008 at 10:54 pm

Wow. The mind boggles. Bush mentioned in a positive light with no, “Yeah, but…” in the same paragraph? Let me pick my jaw up off the floor…

And it’s really refreshing to see this blog get away from the doom and gloom for a bit. Nicely done. Your top 10 list is great.
# Steve N. Leeon 25 Nov 2008 at 12:22 pm

You might find it refreshing, Greg, but according to my stats, the more positive posts don’t attract as many readers as the other ones. Strange, huh? Still, I will try to post similar articles once in a while.

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting.
Steve
# Heidi Mon 01 Dec 2008 at 5:07 pm

Love hearing this great news, especially about GWB. It’s funny how some people’s pet projects stay hidden for so long. One of our senators has an absolutely appalling environmental record and I’m always writing to him and pointing that out. Then came a campaign to save national shoreline areas and keep them free of vehicles. I wrote to this senator, once again reminding him of his poor record. The letter I received back truly shocked me. He was all for this campaign. He wrote passionately about the need to keep the shorelines free of recreational and all other types of vehicles, not only because of the obvious forms of pollution, but because the noise pollution would disturb nesting shorebirds which are such a necessary part of the shoreline eco-system. The birds were obviously his pet passion. And I would never have guessed it based on his voting record and on what I had heard about him in the media. Just goes to show you, no one is ALL bad.
# Steve N. Leeon 02 Dec 2008 at 11:29 am

Yes, people can constantly surprise you, can’t they, Heidi? That Bush item is an excellent example - and thank you for providing another one. Now, if people could use their own pet passion to empathise with other people’s passions we might actually see some large-scale constructive change come about. But, let’s face it, currently the chances of that are pretty slim. Still, things are slowly improving as this post shows. What 2009 will hold, who can say? Especially now the US is under new management!

Thanks for commenting,
Steve