Most of our energy needs are met through the combustion of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal. Burning these fuels produces carbon dioxide, or CO2, which is the greenhouse gas primarily responsible for global warming. Our current path of development is not sustainable. We need to reduce total emissions by at least 80% by 2050. Failure to act will leave nearly a billion people at risk from water and food shortages, droughts, flooding, forest fires, and severe storms. Even moderate temperature increases, from 1 to 3 degrees, are expected to cause sea levels to rise and approximately 30% of species to be extinct by 2100. We can avoid the most catastrophic scenarios by making simple lifestyle changes and improving how we produce, consume and discard. Your participation counts!