On April 22, 1970, millions of demonstrators across the United States took to the streets for the first annual Earth Day, a protest against what some called environmental deterioration.
Landmarks go dark across the globe to raise awareness of climate change.
Since then, Earth Day has become an international event, celebrated by millions to remind the world of the urgency of saving the environment. But as the 40th Earth Day approaches this week, the movement’s momentum has yet to deliver new comprehensive energy legislation from the United States Congress.
The House of Representatives in June passed the “American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009,” a controversial cap and trade bill that imposed restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.
Cap and trade rules let companies legally exceed emission limits by letting them trade or buy credits from other companies who pollute less.
A more stringent yet bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate, however, got little traction, and was eventually sidelined by the health care debate.
Now, senators are hoping to pick the momentum back up with a new set of proposals that addresses some of the criticisms of the earlier bill, and could nix cap and trade altogether.
Full story: Senate Climate Bill: Environmentalists Say Bipartisan Support is Possible – ABC News