Grist Magazine as a handy chart that outlines the positions of the major US presidential candidates on environmental issues. However, on the Democratic side, the chart won't help that much given the almost identical platforms of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Unfortunately, the chart ignores minor candidates and parties such as Mike Gravel (still in the race) and the Green Party who are environmental giants in comparison.

Interestingly enough, the journal continues the troubling trend of collapsing all environmental issues along the climate change-energy continuum. Although they are obviously important in themselves, both civilizational level challenges lie (or are treated as such) in the domain of economic and technological fixes. More complex and far reaching issues such as biodiversity conservation are conveniently ignored in Grist's chart, even with habitat loss, species extinction, and dislocation of traditional livelihoods exacting their increasingly grim toll.

Beyond the usual laundry list of pledges, political will and a working green majority will be vital for the passage of any far reaching legislation, particularly in the US where entrenched interests have demonstrated their unyielding strength in both houses of Congress.