What Can I Do to Help Stop Global Warming?

Are you ready for some startling statistics? In the United States, 6.6 tons of greenhouse gases are emitted per person every year. We're not getting any better at this, as this figure rose 3.4% from 1990 to 1997. Most of these emissions come from the burning of fossil fuels to power our cars and light our homes and buildings.

According to the EPA, this accounts for 82% of the emissions, a hefty chunk. The rest comes from raising livestock, natural gas pipelines, coal, industrial chemicals, and methane from waste in landfills. With figures like these, it's probably not much of a surprise that currently the U.S. emits more greenhouse gases per person than any other country on earth-though the rates do vary widely by state and region.

From these statistics you can easily see that there are three main areas where you can make a huge impact on global warming. These three areas are how much electricity we use, the waste we process, and the transportation choices we make. As consumers, we can cut down up to 32% of the emissions we spew into the air, just by making smart choices. The rest comes from industry and other sources, and we can have an impact on that by lobbying governments to come up with stricter standards.

One of the words you'll hear a lot when looking into global warming is sustainability. Its one of the new buzz words and it's a good one. Wikipedia defines the word as "an attempt to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the future." The EPA defines it as "the ability to achieve continuing economic prosperity while protecting the natural systems of the planet and providing a high quality of life for its people."

These definitions both embrace taking stewardship of the planet, its people, and the best quality of life for all-which is what taking action to ease global warming is all about.

The experts agree: the overall recommendation is for rapid transition to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. But what does this mean? And how can the average consumer add such practices to their everyday life? That's where this report comes in. We have compiled a list of actions, both large and small that you can take to help prevent global warming. If you are feeling overwhelmed, don't be.

You can start small, taking one little step, and then expand your awareness and commitment to the cause. Bit by bit you'll be replacing old habits and before you know you'll be proud to call yourself a green citizen. You may even feel compelled to become an activist on the part of the planet. Our list of resources can help you with that, too.

Are you ready? We've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's get going. Don't forget the handy checklists at the end of each section, which gives you a quick reference of things to do immediately. You can refer to these lists if you want to get going right away, and then go back later and read the background information. The most important thing is to take action as soon as possible.