Environmental news from 2008 ranged from the green to the not-so-green. From environmental victories – like the Washington Nationals first green ballpark and NYC’s car-free Summer Streets – to environmental crises, like the discovery that the trailers Hurricane Katrina refugees are living in are toxic. And, of course, the final hit of the year. What many are calling the worst environmental disaster in U.S history: when more than five million cubic yards of toxic coal sludge surged into the confluence of the Emory and Clinch River in Tennessee.
The good and the bad, we’ve culled it all. Here’s a look back at news stories of 2008.
January
- California sues the EPA for rejecting their proposed tailpipe rule.
- The European Union gives Italy one month to clean up after its waste disposal crisis.
February
- The "Fort Knox of Food" receives its first seeds.
- FEMA hurries Hurricane Katrina survivors out of toxic trailers.
March
- The Washington Nationals opens the first green ballpark.
- The planet dims as Earth Hour goes global.
- Glaciers in the tropics play a disappearing act.
April
- The CDC foresees health risks due to climate change.
May
- An agreement on climate change goals eludes the G8.
- Chemicals used to make non-stick coatings are proven harmful to health.
June
- Honda's production line rolls out a petroleum-free car.
July
- Dirty skies beware, Beijing declares war on air pollution.
- Bush lifts a decades long ban on new offshore drilling.
- Pope Benedict preaches environmental protection on World Youth Day.
August
- Beijing's Olympic Village earns LEED gold certification.
- The Big Apple goes car-free with "Summer Streets."
- Congress restricts a toxic plastics softener in toys.
September
- SustainLane releases its 2008 City Study to wide acclaim.
- Mother Nature releases her fury as Hurricane Ike slams into the coast of Texas.
October
- An environmental groups says one in four mammals are threatened with extinction.
- The United States requires ships to slow down in waters used by right whales.
November
- The first African American – and who some call the first green president -- Barack Obama is elected president.
- Bark beetles kill millions of acres of trees in the west.
December
- Hawaii plans for nation's first statewide network of chargers for electric cars.
- Bush administration conducts last-minute auction of Utah land for drilling.
- More than five million cubic yards of toxic coal sludge surged into the confluence of the Emory and Clinch River in Tennessee.
