The author of today's post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

Total greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks is a function of three factors: amount of driving, fuel economy, and carbon emissions per gallon of fuel (the "three-legged stool [PDF]"). The news media tend to focus on the latter two factors, but how much people drive has a huge impact.

A new report published by the Urban Land Institute says that greenhouse gas emissions cannot be reduced sufficiently by making vehicles more efficient, because growth in driving cancels out improved fuel economy. People also must drive less. And the report's solution is not just better public transportation.

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The author of today's post, Keith Gaby, is Communications Director of the climate campaign at Environmental Defense.

Today the White House is hosting a meeting of 15 nations with some of the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the world. They have gathered together to discuss solutions to climate change. The President of Environmental Defense, Fred Krupp, is among a small number of outside speakers who will address the delegates. He decided to attend the conference because - with all those world leaders gathered in one place (not to mention Bush Administration officials) - it's a chance to push for real action. The White House, which so far has opposed mandatory action on climate change, might not want to hear it, but Fred's message will be simple and direct:

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The author of today's post, Mark MacLeod, is Director of Special Projects for the national climate campaign at Environmental Defense.

This has been Climate Week in New York and D.C., starting with the U.N. conference on Monday, then the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting Wednesday through Friday, and finally the White House Major Economies Meeting today and tomorrow.

This week's focus on global warming has prompted a flurry of letters around Washington, D.C. urging President Bush to support mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.

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The author of today's post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

Why should your company take action to fight global warming? Shareholders want progress, investors are calling for transparency, national policy is coming, and waiting to act will be costly.

To help you get started, Environmental Defense has developed a hierarchy of effective actions called the "Four Cs" - conserve energy, convert to lower carbon energy, choose quality offsets, and call for action.

Here are the details.

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The author of today's post, Derek Walker, is the Deputy Director of the State Climate Campaign at Environmental Defense.

We need federal legislation to solve the global warming crisis - there's no doubt about that. But state and local governments don't have to sit around waiting while the federal debate goes on - and many aren't. States and cities across the country are taking the lead on a wide range of climate issues, demonstrating the political courage and policy innovation needed to protect our planet from the most dangerous effects of global warming.

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The author of today's post, Sheryl Canter, is an Online Writer and Editorial Manager at Environmental Defense.

The energy bills passed by the House and Senate may have you thinking you can relax about climate change, but think again. These bills have some important provisions and we hope they pass, but a new analysis [PDF] by Environmental Defense shows that they don't solve the global warming problem. Even if the best fuel-saving and renewable energy provisions in the bills were combined in conference committee, greenhouse emissions would continue to rise for the next three decades.

This underscores the urgent need for this Congress to pass comprehensive climate change legislation that reduces emissions far below today's levels.

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The author of today's post, Lisa Moore, Ph.D., is a scientist in the Climate and Air program.

Here's something to complement the climate change reading list and list of links that Bill posted a while back.

The folks who publish the journal Nature have just launched Nature Reports: Climate Change, an information hub that brings together research, news, analysis, and commentary. It also links to the blog Nature launched last April, Climate Feedback.

I've taken a quick tour, and it looks promising. What do you think?

The author of today's post, Martha Roberts, is an economist at Environmental Defense, and one of the authors of the Ogallala Aquifer study.

Today Environmental Defense released a new mini-report that analyzes how expanding ethanol production might impact the environment: Potential Impacts of Biofuels Expansion on Natural Resources: A Case Study of the Ogallala Aquifer Region [PDF].

Ethanol arouses a lot of passion in people. Our goal was to produce a report that is balanced, meticulously documented, and offers solutions to potential problems.

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The author of today's post, John Balbus, M.D., M.P.H., is Chief Health Scientist at Environmental Defense.

In the past when I gave talks about dengue fever, I'd say it was a problem in Mexico, but relatively rare over the border in Texas. I need to update my slides. Following an outbreak of dengue fever in Brownsville, Texas, health investigators found that 38 percent of the town was at risk for the most dangerous form of the illness.

This is a big deal, and global warming may well play a role.

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The author of today's post, Martha Roberts, is an economist at Environmental Defense. She contributed to the coalition's petition to the SEC.

Climate change can have a significant impact on a company's bottom line - just ask any insurance company. But as the Washington Post points out, it's not only insurance companies that are affected. Climate change can cause physical damage to facilities, increase costs of regulatory compliance, and (on the plus side) create new markets for climate-friendly products - to give just a few examples.

So today, Environmental Defense and a broad coalition of investors, state treasurers, and other environmental groups petitioned the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to clarify that existing regulations require publicly traded companies to assess and disclose their financial risk from climate change. Altogether, the 22 petitioners manage more than $1.5 trillion in assets. You can find full documentation, including the petition, on our Web site.

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