Network for Good

The climate is changing, and we're holding the bag. Simply put, nearly every action we take on the average day, from cooking eggs for breakfast, to watching "Project Runway" after dinner, relies on electricity created by burning carbon-rich coal or oil. Burning these fossil fuels releases heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide. Because of all this frenetic burning of fuel that's taken place since the dawn of the Industrial Revoltion, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased to the point that the planet's overall surface temperature is rising. Needless to say, this is disrupting the delicate conditions that support reasonably predictable conditions for life on Earth.

Global warming has become a front-page story in the United States. Many states have formed regional initiatives to cut carbon emissions. And 2008 witnessed a rare Congressional debate on a global warming bill, widely considered a prelude to regulating carbon emissions in the next presidential administration. Meanwhile, activists are trying to seize the moment, with some marrying community organizing to new tools -- from viral video to text messaging -- to bring about political change.