'We have arrived at a moment unlike any other in all human history.  Our home is in grave danger.  What is at risk of being destroyed is not the earth itself, of course, but the conditions that have made it hospitable for human beings.' - Al Gore, Our Choice.

"The United States is still borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn in ways that destroy the planet.  Every bit of that's got to change."  Al Gore - Our Choice

Environmental experts discuss the role that carbon capture and sequestration can play in achieving needed reductions in carbon dioxide emissions in order to mitigate global climate change.

Hot, Flat, and Crowded - Why we need a green revolution and how it can renew America

by Thomas L Friedman

Our Choice - A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis by Al Gore

Information is crucial to ensuring that the public have access to the knowledge that can be used to understand trends, shape ideas and inform change to help save our environment.

The air is full of carbon dioxide and other pollutants;
The ocean is emptying;
We have observed record setting harvests over the last few years, and yet chronic hunger persists and has recently been increasing;
The planet is experiencing the 6th great extinction;

All of these are the result of human activity.

This evidence illustrates that we have not responsibly managed, neither through governance nor technology, our environmental resources. In the absence of finding a sustainable relationship with our ecosystem, we might conclude that we have reached Earth's carrying capacity.

Climate Change

The Earth's climate has changed many times during the planet's history, with events ranging from ice ages to long periods of warmth. Historically, natural factors such as volcanic eruptions, changes in the Earth's orbit, and the amount of energy released from the Sun have affected the Earth's climate. Beginning late in the 18th century, human activities associated with the Industrial Revolution have also changed the composition of the atmosphere and therefore very likely are influencing the Earth's climate.

Check out msnbc's interactive media 

 vital signs of a warming world

Resources and Population

All of our basic resources, such as land, water, and energy, are inherently limited.   As human populations continue to expand and finite resources are divided among increasing numbers of people, it will become more and more difficult to maintain prosperity and a quality of life, and personal freedoms will decline.

World population is currently growing by 1.1 percent annually and expected to reach 9.1 billion people by 2050. Limited access to health care, contraception, and education in many developing countries has resulted in national demographic trends that exhibit stark contrasts to those of the industrialized world. As a result, nearly all future population growth will occur in developing countries, particularly within urban populations.  A continuation of current population trends will create greater pressures on food, water, sanitation, and infrastructure resources, particularly in places where these amenities are already scarce, and will also impose enhanced strains on earth's natural environment.  Population growth, therefore, poses a number of socioeconomic and geopolitical challenges.

What you can do

Learn what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.

You release greenhouse gases as a result of using energy to drive, using electricity to light and heat your home, and through other activities that support our quality of life like growing food, raising livestock and throwing away garbage. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced through simple measures like changing light bulbs and properly inflating your tires.