Here they are, in no particular order:
Sen. James Inhofe: When it comes to denying the climate
crisis -- the single-greatest threat facing life on Earth -- James Inhofe has
few peers. The Oklahoma Republican is the ringleader of right-wing
climate-deniers in Congress and a driving force behind the tragic lack of U.S.
action to tackle this crisis. Sure, every major scientific organization on the
planet is sounding the alarm bells about global warming, and more than 40,000
temperature records have been broken in the United States this year alone. Yes,
a new study says climate change may kill 100 million people by 2030. But Inhofe
insists it's all an elaborate hoax. Rather than heed the call from the world's
scientists, Inhofe is doubling down on "denialist politics," insisting on
projects like the Keystone XL pipeline that will dig us deeper into a climate
hole that already comes up to our chins.
Sen. Jon Tester: If you're wondering why most wolves in the
West are no longer protected by the Endangered Species Act, look no further
than Mr. Tester. The Montana Democrat stuck a rider on a must-pass budget bill
that eliminated federal protections from wolves in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and
parts of three other states. The bill set a dangerous precedent, marking the
first time that politicians, rather than scientists, decided when a species
should lose its protections. It's had disastrous on-the-ground impacts, too:
Since Tester's bill, more than 600 wolves in the West have been killed by
hunters, trappers and government agents. What's more, Tester just added another
provision to another bill, aiming to ban the government from saving thousands
of eagles, condors, swans and other birds from being lethally poisoned by lead
hunting ammunition left in the wild.
Shell: Talk about not taking "no" for an answer.
Shell Oil is determined to sink its drills into the pristine Arctic, no matter
how great the danger that poses to polar bears, walruses or other Far North
wildlife. Since 2007 Shell had tried and failed to launch industrial
oil-drilling operations in the Arctic Ocean (and recently sued a dozen
environmental groups that had kept the company out of the region). The Obama
administration opened the door to the Arctic this year, only to see Shell
caught up in a series of blunders. First the company announced it couldn't
comply with air-pollution permits and asked the EPA to waive Clean Air Act
requirements. Next its drillship slipped its moorings off the coast of Alaska
and drifted dangerously close to shore. Finally a mishap with an oil-spill
containment device forced Shell to call off plans to drill for oil this year.
But certainly the oil giant will try to return to the Arctic in 2013 -- much to
the dismay of anyone who cares about clean oceans, safe sea life and a climate
that's not choked by fossil-fuel pollution.
Tell me who you think should win the Dodo Award.
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