Today we have the highest atmospheric carbon concentration since the evolution of Homo sapiens. The United States is the world's biggest greenhouse gas polluter. We have only 5 percent of the world's population, but we produce more than 20 percent of its greenhouse gases. In the face of climate chaos, we continue to increase our pollution. Power plants are the fastest-growing source of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, primarily because we are increasing the output from old, inefficient coal plants, many of which don't meet current standards.
Cars are another major and growing source.
To stop piling up carbon dioxide, we need to shift to cutting-edge technologies for energy efficiency and for renewable energy from the sun, wind, and geothermal sources. Prosperity doesn't require fossil fuels. Just tightening up national fuel economy standards would eliminate 450 million tons of carbon dioxide per year by 2010. As the biggest polluter, the United States should take the lead in dealing with global warming. Instead, for most of the past decade, we have obstructed progress.