It is vitally important that the governments of the world, especially the government of the United States, take action to stop the continued release of global warming pollution. We can still prevent catastrophic changes from occuring if we act now.

The Alliance for Climate Protection recommends a few things that our governments should do. These include:

• Join an internationl treaty within the next two years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth.
• Place moratoria on construction of new energy facilities that burn coal, unless they are able to trap and store the resulting carbon dioxide.
• Create laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on coal.
• Develop better mass transit options to reduce vehicle use.
  

Other examples of government actions that would help to prevent climate change include identifying and curtailing subsidies that promote generation of greenhouse gases, or that prevent the development of new energy technologies, and programs to actively stimulate the develpment of energy efficient and "clean" technologies.

Unfortunately, due to the amount of global warming pollution we have already released into the atmosphere some additional changes are unavoidable. Some of these changes will affect the stability and productivity of marine ecosystems, which makes our work to protect marine ecosytems even more important. In order to ensure that the oceans, and rest of the planet, have the best chance of adapting to these changes we need government support to reduce other stresses that we are placing upon them, such as overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction.

Global warming should be of utmost importance to policy makers across the globe. Our future depends on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and action needs to be taken now. Here is some information on current and ongoing actions that could help address climate change.

International Action
The Kyoto Protocol entered into force in 2006 with the goal of uniting nations in the fight against climate change. The main feature involves setting mandatory targets on greenhouse gas emissions for the countries that have signed on, in order to reduce overall emissions of harmful gases by at least 5 percent of 1990 levels by 2012. The protocol has not proven to be very effective, partly due to the fact that the U.S., one of the world's largest polluters, has refused to get involved.

United States
Within the United States, both California and Florida have been making an effort to reduce their states' overall greenhouse gas emissions. On September 27, 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 32, designed to cap the state's greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by 2020. California currently has the strictest pollution laws in the nation, and recently the California Energy Commission imposed a ban on signing new contracts with coal-fired power plants. In July 2007, Florida Governor Charlie Crist announced his plan to cap greenhouse gas pollution at 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050 through tighter auto efficiency standards and other efficiency measures.

Global Leadership
It is this sort of environmental leadership that will make a big difference in the long run. Globally, certain countries are stepping up to do their part in protecting the planet. In March 2007, Australia's Prime Minister announced his plans to implement immediate action against deforestation. Deforestation in developing countries accounts for 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, so Australia has committed $200 million in new funding for the Global Initiative on Forests and Climate. Their other green initiatives include providing funding for schools to install solar water systems and rainwater tanks, and becoming active members in environmental partnerships such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate.

China, now the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, is another example of a country beginning to make strides in cleaning the air. Recently, China launched the most aggressive energy efficiency program in the world. Their efforts include setting strict energy efficiency standards for all residential and commercial buildings, implementing tariffs to discourage imports from high polluting factories, and creating contracts with "enterprise chiefs" that tie their job performance with the amount of energy consumption they curb.

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