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The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) urges Congress to implement a multi-pollutant policy to address the public health and environmental crises caused by power plant emissions. CATF proposes capping sulfur dioxide at 2 million tons per year and nitrogen oxides at 1.6 million tons per year, while requiring a 95% reduction in mercury emissions. The document highlights that current regulations are insufficient to prevent 30,000 annual premature deaths or allow ecosystem recovery from acid rain. It further argues that these pollution controls are necessary prerequisites for the effective operation of carbon capture technologies and should be linked to any free carbon allowances provided under climate legislation like the Waxman-Markey bill.

The report projects that Illinois will face significantly hotter summers, increased flash flooding, and severe threats to agriculture if heat-trapping emissions continue to rise. Under a higher-emissions scenario, Chicago could see more than 70 days above 90°F per summer by the end of the century, and corn yields could decline by as much as 50% by mid-century. The document advocates for a transition to clean energy, including renewable electricity standards and a moratorium on new coal plants, alongside federal cap-and-trade legislation to mitigate these risks.

The report projects that Minnesota will face significantly hotter summers, increased flooding, and agricultural threats if current emissions trends continue. Under a high-emissions scenario, the state could see a 12°F increase in average summer temperatures by the end of the century, with Minneapolis-St. Paul experiencing nearly 70 days over 90°F per summer. These changes are expected to increase heat-related mortality, worsen air quality through higher ozone and particulate levels, and disrupt farming via heat stress and pest expansion. The document advocates for a transition to renewable energy, increased energy efficiency, and a federal cap-and-trade program to mitigate these risks.

The report projects that Missouri will face significantly hotter summers, increased flooding, and agricultural disruptions if heat-trapping emissions continue to rise. It highlights severe risks for St. Louis, including extreme heat waves and deteriorating air quality, and suggests a combination of state-level energy efficiency and federal climate legislation to mitigate these effects.

The report projects that Ohio will face significantly hotter summers, increased flooding, and agricultural disruptions if current emissions trends continue. It highlights severe risks to public health from heat waves and ozone pollution, and warns of crop and livestock stress. The document advocates for a transition to clean energy through stronger renewable electricity standards, updated building codes, and federal cap-and-trade legislation.

The report projects that Wisconsin will face significantly hotter summers, increased flooding, and agricultural disruptions if current emissions trends continue. Under a high-emissions scenario, Milwaukee could see more than 55 days per summer over 90°F by the end of the century. The document advocates for a transition to clean energy through renewable electricity standards, energy efficiency, and federal cap-and-trade policies to mitigate these risks.

The document describes the use of IPCC emissions scenarios (A1fi and B1) and three global climate models (GFDL CM2.1, HadCM3, and PCM) to project climate variables in the U.S. Midwest. It details the distinction between higher-emissions paths, leading to 940 ppm of CO2 by 2100, and lower-emissions paths, leading to 550 ppm. The briefing notes that while these models reproduce historical regional climate features, they may be conservative as they do not capture recent rapid winter warming in the Midwest or the accelerated melting of polar ice sheets.

In 2005, total global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions were estimated at 44,153 MtCO2 equivalent, representing a 12.7% increase from 2000. The energy sector, specifically electricity, heat, and transportation, drove much of this growth, with developing countries accounting for the majority of emissions in electricity, heat, and industry. While high global warming potential gases grew by 44% between 2000 and 2005, they remain a small percentage of total emissions. Notably, revised methodologies for calculating land-use change reduced its estimated share of total GHGs from 18.2% to 12.2%, although actual emissions from this sector grew by 4.1% during the period.

The paper examines the correlation between CO2 emissions per capita and PPP-adjusted GDP per capita across 174 countries, using China to illustrate the challenges of balancing development with emissions reductions. It finds that income is the strongest determinant of emissions and argues that current high-income lifestyles are incompatible with low-carbon stabilization targets, necessitating technological innovation.

The fact sheet describes biomass cofiring—the simultaneous combustion of biomass and a base fuel, typically coal—as a practical bridge to a renewable energy future. It highlights benefits including linear reductions in CO2 and SO2 emissions, lower capital costs for retrofitting existing boilers, and support for sustainable forest management by creating markets for hazardous fuels. However, it identifies barriers such as feedstock preparation costs and ASTM standards that prevent the sale of biomass-contaminated fly ash. The document suggests that replacing 5% of U.S. coal with biomass could reduce total U.S. emissions by 1.5% within 5-10 years.

The document highlights that atmospheric CO2 retention has increased, sea levels are rising faster than projected, and Arctic sea ice is plummeting more steeply than expected. It warns that the warming effects of CO2 will persist for at least a thousand years even after emissions stop, emphasizing the need for swift reductions in heat-trapping gases.

The clean car standards, initiated by California's AB 1493 and adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), comprise regulations for air quality, global warming, and zero-emission vehicles. These standards aim for a 30% reduction in global warming pollution from new vehicles by 2016 and are more stringent than federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, targeting a fleet average fuel economy equivalent of 39.2 mpg by 2020 compared to the federal 35 mpg. As of January 2009, 13 states and the District of Columbia had adopted these standards, which are projected to reduce cumulative global warming emissions by 451 million metric tons of CO2E by 2020 across those 15 jurisdictions.

The report projects that Indiana will face significantly hotter summers, increased flooding, and agricultural disruptions if heat-trapping emissions continue to rise. It highlights severe risks to public health from heat waves and poor air quality, and suggests that the state transition from its heavy reliance on coal-fired power to renewable energy and energy efficiency to mitigate these effects.

Friends of the Earth welcomes the Supreme Court's decision to review a 2003 EPA ruling that denied the agency's authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The organization argues that the lack of regulation has coincided with a 16 percent increase in global warming emissions since 1990 and contributed to severe weather events and economic losses, such as the $57.6 billion in insurance losses from 2005 hurricanes.

Friends of the Earth argues that President Bush's claims regarding a debate over man-made global warming contradict IPCC findings and that his reliance on oil, coal, and nuclear power as solutions is ineffective and dangerous.

The document identifies human activity—specifically the burning of fossil fuels and tropical deforestation—as the primary cause of global warming. It explains that carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most significant driver of climate change due to its high radiative forcing and abundance, outweighing other heat-trapping gases and natural climate drivers like solar intensity. The text clarifies that the ozone hole is not a cause of global warming, though both result from human atmospheric alterations. Observed impacts include a 1°C increase in global average surface temperature since the pre-industrial age, rising sea levels, and ecological shifts such as thawing permafrost and altered species ranges.

The document aggregates data from multiple polling organizations (including CNN, Gallup, and the Harris Poll) regarding public attitudes toward global warming. Key trends include a majority of U.S. adults viewing global warming as a proven fact caused by human activity, support for cap-and-trade systems and renewable energy mandates, and a growing belief that the U.S. should lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions regardless of other nations' actions. Regional data highlights specific concerns in Florida regarding sea-level rise and in California regarding state-level emissions laws.

The document outlines the potential for California farmers to benefit from the Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) through financial incentives, the sale of emissions offsets, and the production of bioenergy. It details specific strategies for reducing carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, while noting that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is tasked with developing the regulatory framework to meet 2020 emissions targets.

The document serves as the first module of a foundation course on air quality management in Asia. It examines the primary drivers of urban air pollution, including fuel combustion from stationary sources and the significant impact of road traffic, particularly motorcycles and old diesel vehicles. It distinguishes between ambient, indoor, and transboundary air pollution, highlighting the severe health impacts of particulate matter (PM2.5) and the role of greenhouse gases in climate change. The text also assesses the air quality management (AQM) capabilities of 20 Asian cities, categorizing them from 'excellent' to 'limited'.

The report argues that to avoid dangerous climate change, the U.S. must reduce emissions by at least 80% below 2000 levels by 2050. This target is derived from a global stabilization goal of 450 ppm CO2eq, which provides a medium chance of limiting global warming to 2°C. The authors calculate a U.S. cumulative emissions budget of 160 to 265 GtCO2eq for 2000–2050 and warn that delaying reductions until 2020 would double the required annual reduction rate from 4% to 8%. An assessment of then-current federal bills found that only the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act (S. 309) and the Safe Climate Act (H.R. 1590) were consistent with the upper limit of the proposed U.S. emissions budget.