Were There Really Just A Handful Of Eco-Topics On Our Radar In The Past Decade?

Part of the rite of passage from one decade to another is summarizing the major events that occurred and ideally walking away with valuable lessons that can be applied toward our future experiences. The New York Times recently published Philip Niemeyer's handy-dandy visual account of the most prominent news, culture and miscellaneous tidbits that were on our radars from 2000 - 2009 (depicted above) and I thought it particularly interesting that of the 120 points addressed, just a mere 6 were in some way environmentally related. This is yet another in a long line of examples demonstrating how the news media seems to be consistently drawn to the comprehensive reporting of almost anything other than what's going on with the state of our planet. Still, it only seems fair that we explore some of the eco-references cited and see if there's anything new that we can take with us into the upcoming decade.

2000: "More Is Not Enough"

This first eco-reference, logged under the "Fear" category, is certainly subject to interpretation but judging from the graphic of a stretch Hummer limousine floating above those telling words, I'll venture to guess that it's emblematic of the rampant consumerism that has gripped our country for far too long. Despite record high fuel prices and an increasing awareness of the correlation between excessive CO2 production and spending entirely too much time cruising around on 4 wheels, the Hummer's larger than life presence has become synonymous with luxury, affluence and maintaining airs - perfect for the typical American who already has everything and yet is constantly craving more. Its $260,000 truck-bed-platform stretch cousin -- double the original Hummer H2 vehicle length - has been cited by consumer reporting outlets such as Motor Trend, Edmunds & Car and Driver as achieving mileage from 8.6 mpg all the way to 10.8 mpg. Why the wide discrepancy in numbers? General Motors isn't required to submit actual fuel economy numbers to the EPA since very heavy, large vehicles are exempt. If you are inexplicably drawn to the gargantuan gas-guzzling leviathan but lack the green backs to commit to a 365 ride, unfortunately for you, there are plenty of outlets more than eager to offer you a rental at between $30 to $50 per person.  The real question we should be asking ourselves is why any of us in our right minds would waste our time and money coveting such an environmental disgrace?

2006: Tsunami

Most of us remember the endless news coverage of this catastrophic Indonesian event which ultimately claimed the lives of an estimated 668 people and displaced 54,256. Triggered by a southwest coastal 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Java, the resulting three meter high (6+ foot) wall of water devastated countless hotels, homes and restaurants in its path. Sadly, while two Tsunami warnings were issued (there were discrepancies in time...some officials say they were alerted 45 minutes prior to the disaster while others insist that they had just 7 minutes advanced notice), the government chose not to share the information with locals since they were concerned about alarming them unnecessarily. There are many schools of thought on whether global warming could be responsible for the increased occurrence of tsunamis, but one common theory is that increasingly melting glaciers will trigger more earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in unusual areas due to the release of pressure on the Earth's surface - they believe that massive sheets of ice act as geological suppression devices, so once they melt, the unexpected could happen. Writing in New Scientist magazine, Bill McGuire, professor of geological hazards at University College in London, said: "All over the world evidence is stacking up that changes in global climate can and do affect the frequencies of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and catastrophic sea-floor landslides. Not only has this happened several times throughout Earth's history, the evidence suggests it is happening again."

2007: Peak Oil

Under the "fear" category, this term -- referencing the point at which our world finally reaches its maximum production level of petroleum - is all too troubling for the United States based on the fact that we remain the largest consumer of this resource at an estimated 7 million barrels a day. Oil makes our little world go ‘round. We only began to sit up and take notice when we experienced wallet-weeping prices at the pump and finally started to understand the connection between our hyper-consumerism and the ever increasing utilization of this rapidly depleting resource. From our industrial and residential to transportation and commercial sectors, the US guzzles petroleum at an unprecedented rate - in fact, modern, high-intensive agriculture has a symbiotic relationship with the substance via the production of ammonia for fertilizer. If we don't come up with a viable replacement sooner than later, our food supply could be in jeopardy, we could face a potential economic upheaval and almost every other modern convenience could be hanging in the balance.

2007: T. Boone Pickens

Scoring a mention in the "maverick" category, the 117^th richest person in America - who achieved his wealth via corporate acquisitions of various oil, mining and water companies - has in recent years become more famous for his green leanings. In a complete about face, Pickens demonstrated his commitment to backing renewable energy plans such as wind and natural gas - dubbed "The Pickens Plan" -- in an effort to alleviate America's dependence on foreign oil by 1/3 and save our country well over $230 billion each year. The San Antonio Business Journal outlines his 3 step plan as follows:

• Step 1: Using the United States' wind corridor, private industry will fund the installation of thousands of wind turbines in the wind belt, generating enough power to provide 20 percent or more of the country's electricity supply.
• Step 2: Again funded by the private sector, electric power transmission lines will be built, connecting these wind power generating sites with power plants providing energy to the population centers in the Midwest, South and Western regions of the country.
• Step 3: With the energy from wind now available to operate power plants serving the large population centers in key areas of the country, the natural gas that was historically utilized to fuel these power plants can be redirected and used to replace imported gasoline and diesel as a fuel for thousands of vehicles in the transportation system.

Additionally, during the summer of 2009, he announced that he was committed to purchasing and developing alternative energy projects for 667 Texas wind turbines.

2008: I'm Not A Plastic Bag - The Widespread Trend Of Reusable Bags

The advent of this light-green eco-fashionista snob-staple, designed by London-based Anya Hindmarch, retailed at $15 and promptly sold out almost instantaneously among trend-o-holics willing to wait in insanely long lines in front of Whole Foods in select cities around the world. It was purportedly not intended to launch pinkies into the air, though. The designer was actually quoted as saying, "To create awareness you have to create scarcity by producing a limited edition. I hate the idea of making the environment trendy, but you need to make it cool and then it becomes a habit." Whether her intentions were noble or covertly profit-driven, her simple design launched a thousand imitations including the amusing "I'm Not A Smug Twat" bag. More importantly, the publicity surrounding that simple canvas bag ushered in a new generation of plastic bag reform that today has become the foundation for reusable totes at every turn.