What do you think of the 2014 Environmental Hall of Fame winners and their prizes.?

The picture at the left was taken from the Apollo spacecraft as the Earth rose above the horizon of the moon. It reminds us of how beautiful the Earth is, how small and finite it is in the universe, and how important it is that we protect our planet. The 2014 Environmental Hall of Fame/Shame contest was carried out on four websites and the votes were combined to determine those who have most affected the environment.

The 2014 Environmental Hall of Fame Winners:

1. Pope Francis (55%) – for his Protect Creation efforts. He is preparing a comprehensive Vatican teachings on climate change, which will urge 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide to take action. Hoped for Reward: A strong agreement from the climate conference.

2. John Holdren (18%) – President Obama’s science adviser. He has been quite effective in shutting down Congressmen who deny the human influence on climate. Prize : Election defeats for all Congressmen who exclaim, “I’m not a scientist, but…” .

3. Boyen Slat ( 15%) – a 19 year old Dutch student/ inventor and founder and CEO of The OCEANCLEANUP . He developed a method for removing much of the 30 million tons of plastic entering the oceans annually. Prize : A high price for recyclable plastic.

4. Physicist John Cook ( 12%) for creating the Skeptical Science site in 2007 which conveniently catalogues all paid denier memes/propaganda and the scientific responses to them. Prize: Ownership of WWUT, the major denier site.