This was a year that saw major environmental shifts, in both directions. Here are just a few of the high (and low) lights, as we see them:

Inauguration of Barack Obama: In his very first words and deeds in office he confirmed a return to science-based decision making when it comes to natural resource and energy planning, and a new willingness to engage the world to look for constructive solutions to global climate change. Small lowlight – Copenhagen was a lost opportunity, leaving some of us less than convinced that climate change is as high a priority of the current administration as it should be…

A big one finger solute to Glenn Beck and the rest of the right wing punditry for  bringing a slimy pallor of darkness to the clear and potentially unifying issue of climate change. Thanks to their thoroughly disingenuous efforts, a SMALLER percentage of Americans now believe that climate change is real, and human caused, than in the last years of the BUSH administration. Fantastic.

California moves to limit emissions from cargo ships off the coast: It turns out that possibly the largest single mobile source of fossil fuel emissions is not our millions of cars and trucks on the road, but the relatively small number of large ships burning wretched bunker fuel (up to 1000% more sulphur content) with virtually no emission control systems. California ruled that ships approaching the shore must switch to a cleaner fuel source within 25 miles, reducing some pollutants in shoreside cities by 10-20% almost overnight. Here’s to hoping 2010 finds the rest of the major world economies (and the rest of the US) following suit, as they have so many other times before. In fact, it appears that the EPA is already on the case >

Warren Buffet invests $44 Billion in US railway company BNSF: Any time the guru of Wall Street sinks that kind of dough into what many consider an outdated technology, people sit up and take notice. He did more in that moment to raise awareness of the potential of rail transit in this country than Joe Biden’s well documented Amtrak forays ever have. Learn more >

We’re still following the massive coal sludge clean up in Tennessee, a December 2008 mess that might never find a true solution. Maybe 2010 will mark the end of developing technologies that lack any reliable waste solution. But we doubt it. Find the latest here >

There is plenty more to read and look at at TreeHugger’s “Best and Worst of 2009″ Take a look >

Tags: emissions, government mandates to reduce emissions, green business, policy reform, pollution, public transit