The United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) convened in Bali, Indonesia in early December to discuss life after the Kyoto Protocol. The legally binding, mandatory carbon emission limits set in 1997 are due to expire in 2012, leaving climate change gurus under intense pressure to move forward with tangible answers to the global warming threat.

It's evident that the UNFCCC is serious about renewable energy, as Yvo de Boer—Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC— stated clearly that renewable energy, increasing energy efficiency and biofuel are significant, if not critical, options to curb global warming.

An emissions manager for BP was also cited in a press release promoting the examination of CO2 Capture and geological Storage (CCS) technology as an industrial-scale investment for carbon emission reductions over the next 50 years and beyond.

CCS decarbonizes fossil fuels, capturing nearly 90 percent of the harmful greenhouse gas, apparently allowing power plants to continue burning fuels while significantly reducing carbon emissions. Fossil fuel consumption contributes more than 3/4 of the United States' carbon emissions, so the idea would certainly warrant consideration, but the fact still remains that fossil fuels are not inexhaustible, leaving no option for renewing these resources for future energy production. Much of the examination into CSS will revolve around such issues, in addition to determining the long-term investment building and operating CSS technology on a global scale would require.

A growing trend in Texas, the U.S. and the rest of the world is seeing wind power production grow rapidly. The U.S. currently has nearly 14,000 megawatts (MW) of installed wind power capacity, and current research should see significant increase in wind power portfolios over the next decade.

So what is it about wind power that should intrigue you enough to consider switching? Here are a few major reasons that should entice you:

• No emissions
• Helpful to local farmers by producing additional income for building turbines and access roads on local land
• According the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), there is currently 13,884 MW of available wind power in the U.S., enough to power 3.8 million homes.
• Estimated savings of 19 million tons of carbon dioxide per year
• Displaces the use of traditional fossil fuels for producing electricity
• Entirely renewable resource—wind never runs out!

These are but the tip of the iceberg as far as the benefits of wind power. Nearly 20 percent of the total energy production in Denmark comes from wind; that's a considerable chunk of their energy portfolio considering wind power counts for just over 1 percent of global energy.

Regardless of numbers and statistics measuring CURRENT wind production, the fact remains that the potential is evidently greater than many may realize. The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) figured 74,223 megawatts of total energy capacity in 2006, nearly a 16,000 MW increase in one year. The questions is, are you and the rest of the world willing to consider wind as a viable option for powering our everyday lives? Wind is plentiful; it is simply waiting for a home.

So we've come to the final part of our little global warming party, and now it's time to blow out the candles, fire the scary clown and eat cake with our fingers.

The causes of global warming are well debated, but the solutions are a different story. You've probably read about thousands of ways that you can positively impact the environment by adopting green practices in your everyday lives, but what about the very real policy changes that are key to reversing the effects of climate change 10, 20 and 50 years from now?

According to Environmental Defense, there a four keys to global warming policy. I have taken the liberty to expand and explain in a little more detail, minus the legislative and technical hobgobble.
So without further delay, I present to you the final part of the global warming primer:

A Limit on Global Warming Pollution Though this seems obvious, current legislation is locked in debate because there hasn't been a concrete precedence for truly limiting greenhouse gas emissions. Placing caps on emissions and offering economic incentives for countries that do so are current methods, as well as the newer Renewable Energy Certificates, which allow consumers and businesses to purchase the environmental benefits of replacing traditional energy with renewable. But there still needs to be a global consensus on either setting standards, or finding a middle ground that does not harm economies.

Trading
All economic sectors must help one another, meaning developing economies receive help from the big boys, ensuring that global renewable energy standards are not out of reach for certain countries. Basically, larger companies and governments sell carbon offsets and implement environmental projects in areas that cannot sustain on their own.

Biofuel Technology
Agriculturally produced fuels are in the works as we speak. In fact, there is a Texas plant converting cow manure to natural gas, and research on plant-based fuels for vehicles is ongoing. This is one area that Environmental Defense feels is in need of additional policy to support development and funding.

Open the Market
Give the reigns of developing new green standards and technology to economic leaders, as in the companies driving the other kind of green. Competition among said companies is unfortunately trampling many opportunities to expand research and development of renewable resources, so why not provide economic incentives and additional breaks to companies that introduce new energy standards and products.

Once more, the debate rolls on. Whether global warming is man made or not really isn't the central issue. Despite a popular consensus that climate change needs to be reversed, the need to adopt global standards still remains relatively untouched, with many taking the lead on providing consumers with options to purchase renewable energy for their homes.

Limiting our carbon footprint requires not only a conscious effort to conserve energy and discover alternative fuel sources, but also a greater understanding of how humans have served as a significant catalyst in global climate change. Here are a few leading causes that humans have contributed to:

• Transportation If only we had listened to the Jetsons sooner. The EPA attributes nearly two-thirds of carbon emissions to automobiles and trucks since 1990, and nearly 20 percent annually. Exhaust contrails from airplanes contribute 2-3 percent of carbon emissions annually, making U.S. transportation as significant factor in recent climate change studies.
• Landfills Humans dump a ton of trash, which is nothing shocking. What most of us probably don't realize is that methane is produced as landfills gradually decompose, producing 34 percent of all methane emissions. Methane is particularly harmful—even though its concentration in the atmosphere is far lower than other gases—because it is capable of trapping more heat than other greenhouse gases.
• Deforestation Ever since Fern Gully, the push for saving global rain forest populations has been at the forefront for environmentalists. More than 34 million acres are burned each year, which throws the carbon dioxide balance off that is normally maintained through photosynthesis.

What is more disturbing is the ongoing debate over how much impact humans have had on global warming. The above examples are only a few factors, but it remains to be seen whether global warming science will lead people to adopt wholesale changes for a greener tomorrow.

Global warming is big right now, pulling more name drops in international media than Britney Spears and Ron Paul put together. With the recent Nobel Prize awarded to Al Gore for his film foray and leadership in raising awareness of increasing climate change issues, the world is going greener by the day. For the sake of our sanity and piece of mind, this multi-part blog will help you understand more about the global warming phenomena, so that you can make informed decisions about your impact on the environment.

Fossil fuels contribute the largest percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, more so than any natural process such as photosynthesis. The human footprint on the environment is showing up more and more in scientific evidence. Statistics provided by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) are a bit eye opening.

• Power Plants produced 2,459,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2006
• 1,035,346 metric tons of coal was consumed in 2006 for electricity production. As of 2006, coal was the second largest producer of carbon emissions with more than two million metric tons annually.
• In 2006 the United States consumed 20.8 million barrels of oil per day. Petroleum is the king of carbon producers, with more than 2.5 million metric tons emitted into the Earth's atmosphere per year.
• 98 percent of energy in the United States is produced from non-renewable sources. Only two percent comes from wind, solar, biomass and other green energy sources.

There are many factors that are contributing to the increased awareness surrounding climate change and how we can make a lasting impact on its prevention. Please stay tuned in the following weeks for more information to help us understand the cause and effect of the global warming phenomenon, as well as possible solutions that we can implement in our daily lives.