This post is by Tony Kreindler, media director for the National Climate Campaign at Environmental Defense Fund.

After all the build-up - the opinion writing, the ad campaigns, the committee work, and the economic analysis - we're in the home stretch. The full Senate is ready to consider acting on global warming.

Today, the Senate is scheduled to kick things off with a motion to proceed on the Climate Security Act. Here's how we expect the next couple of weeks to unfold.

Today's procedural vote starts the real work in the full Senate. Passage will mean that the Senate agrees to start debating, amending and voting on a bill. The motion is expected to pass today (no filibuster threats).

Then the actual debate starts. No one knows yet what the schedule will be, but it's likely that work on this bill will be interspersed with other business, and we expect it to continue through at least early next week. Amendments will most likely be offered, and we might have some excitement and suspense if any senators seek big changes to the bill. We'll keep you posted on any key amendment votes that come up.

For a broader overview of the process, see the post from my colleague Mark MacLeod on how bills move through Congress.

We'll be posting frequent updates this week, so check back often or sign up to get posts by email (use the box to the left). We'll also answer as many questions as we can.