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The 12 tipping points are: 1. Amazon Rainforest 2. North Atlantic Current 3. Greenland Ice Sheet 4. Ozone Hole 5. Antarctic Circumpolar Current 6. Sahara Desert 7. Tibetan Plateau 8. Asian Monsoon 9. Methane Clathrates 10. Salinity Valves 11. El Nino 12. West Antarctic Ice Sheet

A 2005 study by Anthony Leiserowitz, published in Risk Analysis, found that while most Americans are moderately concerned about global warming, the majority—68 percent—believe the greatest threats are to people far away or to nonhuman nature. Only 13 percent perceive any real risk to themselves, their families, or their communities. As Leiserowitz points out, this perception is critical, since Americans constitute only 5 percent of the global population yet produce nearly 25 percent of the global carbon dioxide emissions.

12 ASTEROIDS AND EVOLVING INTO WISDOM IN 2004, JOHN SCHELLNHUBER, distinguished science adviser at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in the United Kingdom, identified 12 global-warming tipping points, any one of which, if triggered, will likely initiate sudden, catastrophic changes across the planet. Odds are you've never heard of most of these tipping points, even though your entire genetic legacy—your children, your grandchildren, and beyond—may survive or not depending on their status.

In addition to having high global warming potentials, SF6 and PFCs have extremely long atmospheric lifetimes, resulting in their essentially irreversible accumulation in the atmosphere once emitted (see below).

The definition of a GWP for a particular greenhouse gas is the ratio of heat trapped by one unit mass of the greenhouse gas to that of one unit mass of CO2 over a specified time period.

While the most current estimates for GWPs are listed in the IPCC's Third Assessment Report (TAR), EPA analyses use the 100-year GWPs listed in the IPCC's Second Assessment Report (SAR) to be consistent with the international standards under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (IPCC, 1996

Governor to sign global-warming bill Why Sept. 27, 2006 will be a day to remember Daniel M. Kammen

More important than the target, which is itself dramatic, is the fact that California will establish emission controls on the largest industrial sectors, including utilities, oil refineries and cement manufacturing, and will use market mechanisms -- emissions trading -- to find the economically most-efficient ways to reduce global warming.

AB32, introduced by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-Los Angeles, calls for a cap on greenhouse-gas emissions statewide, and a 25 percent reduction by 2020.

The Second City's green-roofs program is second to none, with more than 2.5 million square feet devoted to providing cooling and insulating cover.

CHICAGO population 2,862,244

The first major city to tackle global warming, Portland creates less greenhouse gases than it did 15 years ago, while saving $2 million annually on city energy bills--and attracting new business with its efficiency expertise.

The state of California is implementing an even more restrictive standard in 2004, allowing only 0.006 grams per kilometer [0.01 grams per mile] of particulate emissions.

Even if the California standard were introduced worldwide, says Jacobson, diesel cars may still warm the climate more than gasoline cars over 13 to 54 years.

Jacobson says that new particle traps being introduced by some European automobile manufacturers in their diesel cars appear to reduce black carbon emissions to 0.003 grams per kilometer [0.005 grams per mile], even below the California standard.

Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are those who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will.                                                                                                                         --Frederick Douglass 1857

on September 4th, give up food for a day, And Send a powerful message on global warming.

Register for the fast>> Find a faster near you>> ESSAY: No Time for Activism as Usual>>

Also, every gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel burned releases about 22 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2), the major pollutant causing global warming.

In 2000, recycling resulted in an annual energy savings of at least 660 trillion BTUs, which equals the amount of energy used in 6 million households annually. In 2005, recycling is conservatively projected to save 900 trillion BTUs, equal to the annual energy use of 9 million households.

What effects do waste prevention and recycling have on global warming?

What materials are most commonly recycled in the United States through collection programs? US recycling rates for commonly recycled consumer goods in 2006 are listed below: Newspapers: 87.9% Corrugated Cardboard Boxes: 72.0% Steel Cans: 62.9% Yard Trimmings: 62.0% Aluminum Beer and Soft Drink Cans: 45.1% Magazines: 40.5% Tires: 34.9% Plastic HDPE Milk and Water Bottles: 31.0% Plastic Soft Drink Bottles: 30.9% Glass Containers: 25.3% EPA's annually updated report, Municipal Solid Waste in the US: 2006 Facts and Figures, describes the national MSW stream based on data collected since 1960. The historical perspective provided is useful for establishing trends in the types of MSW generated and the ways in which it is managed.

Despite the US government’s opposition to the Kyoto Protocol, California, New York and New Jersey embraced carbon trading Tuesday as they joined European governments, Canadian provinces, and New Zealand to launch a forum known as the International Carbon Action Partnership.