Is there really cause for serious concern? :
Is there really cause for serious concern? Melting glaciers, early snowmelt and severe droughts will cause more dramatic water shortages.
Rising sea levels will lead to coastal flooding on the Eastern Florida, and in other areas, such as the Gulf of Mexico.
Forests, farms and cities will face troublesome new pests and more mosquito-borne diseases.
Disruption of habitats could drive many plant and animal species to extinction.
How can we cut global warming pollution? :
How can we cut global warming pollution? By reducing pollution from vehicles and power plants.
We can increase our reliance on renewable energy sources such as wind, sun and geothermal.
We can manufacture more efficient appliances and conserve energy.
Is it possible to cut power plant pollution and still have enough electricity? :
Is it possible to cut power plant pollution and still have enough electricity? We must use more efficient appliances and equipment in our homes and offices to reduce our electricity needs.
We can also phase out the decades-old, coal-burning power plants that generate most of our electricity and replace them with cleaner plants.
We can increase our use of renewable energy sources such as wind and sun. Some states are moving in this direction: California, New York
How can we cut car pollution? :
How can we cut car pollution? Cost-effective technologies to reduce global warming pollution from cars and light trucks of all sizes are available now. There is no reason to wait and hope that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will solve the problem in the future. Hybrid gas-electric engines can cut global warming pollution by one-third or more today; hybrid sedans, SUVs and trucks from several automakers are already on the market.
But automakers should be doing a lot more: They've used a legal loophole to make SUVs far less fuel efficient than they could be; the popularity of these vehicles has generated a 20 percent increase in transportation-related carbon dioxide pollution since the early 1990s. Closing this loophole and requiring SUVs, minivans and pick-up trucks to be as efficient as cars would cut 120 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution a year by 2010.
If automakers used the technology they have right now to raise fuel economy standards for new cars and light trucks to a combined 40 m.p.g., carbon dioxide pollution would eventually drop by more than 650 million tons per year as these vehicles replaced older models.
What can I do to help fight global warming? :
What can I do to help fight global warming? There are many simple steps you can take right now to cut global warming pollution.
Make conserving energy a part of your daily routine. Each time you choose a compact fluorescent light bulb over an incandescent bulb, for example, you'll lower your energy bill and keep nearly 700 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air over the bulb's lifetime. By opting for a refrigerator with the Energy Star label -- indicating it uses at least 15 percent less energy than the federal requirement -- over a less energy-efficient model, you can reduce carbon dioxide pollution by nearly a ton in total.