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According to the Pew Climate Center, “The scientific community has reached a strong consensus regarding the science of global climate change. The world is undoubtedly warming. This warming is largely the result of emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from human activities including industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion, and changes in land use, such as deforestation. Continuation of historical trends of greenhouse gas emissions will result in additional warming over the 21^st century, with current projections of a global increase of 2.5ºF to 10.4ºF by 2100, with warming in the U.S. expected to be even higher. This warming will have real consequences for the United States and the world, for with that warming will also come additional sea-level rise that will gradually inundate coastal areas and increase beach erosion and flooding from coastal storms, changes in precipitation patterns, increased risk of droughts and floods, threats to biodiversity, and a number of potential challenges for public health.”

What are the Sources of Greenhouse Gasses?

Water vapor - Water vapor contributes the most to the greenhouse effect and occurs in the atmosphere as a result of the natural cycle of water
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) - Carbon dioxide also cycles naturally between the atmosphere and living organisms. Plants and algae remove CO₂ from the atmosphere via photosynthesis, while all living things release CO₂ via respiration (i.e., breathing). Carbon dioxide also cycles back and forth between water on the Earth's surface (freshwater and the oceans) and the atmosphere. In addition to these natural processes, humans release large quantities of CO₂ to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and other industrial processes.
Methane (CH₄) - Methane is a natural byproduct of decomposition, but significant quantities are also produced via agriculture and animal husbandry as well as by fossil fuel production.
Nitrous oxide (N₂O) - Nitrous oxide is released naturally from terrestrial soils and oceans, but substantial quantities are also generated from the use of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture and through some industrial processes.
Other gases - A number of other natural and man-made gases also contribute to the greenhouse effect, including tropospheric ozone, and industrial gases such as halocarbons.
Aerosols - Aerosols are airborne particles within the atmosphere. Some aerosols, such as sulfate aerosols and black carbon aerosols are also produced by fossil fuel combustion. Sulfate aerosols tend to reflect incoming solar radiation, cooling the Earth's surface. Black carbon aerosols absorb, rather than reflect, solar radiation, which shades the Earth's surface, but warms the atmosphere.

Originally developed by William Rees and Matthais Wackernagel in 1994, the ecological footprint has become a widely used indicator of sustainability. It quantifies the area of biologically productive land and water used to supply human resource needs (crops, fish, meat, forest products, energy and built-up lands) and, to some extent, to absorb wastes. In the simplest terms, a population's activities are clearly unsustainable if its footprint size exceeds the available area of ecologically productive land and water on the planet.

There are a number of ways we can reduce our ecological footprint. Since our ecological footprint is based on choices we make, individually, corporately or through the policies of our government, there are opportunities to make better choices in our consumption of energy, in transportation, where we buy our food and what we ask of our policy makers.

The Center for a New American Dream is an organization with the mission of helping Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and promote social justice. They offer 10 simple ways to reduce your ecological footprint. http://www.newdream.org/cnad/user/turn_the_tide.php

The New Community Project is a faith-based nonprofit organization that promotes peace through justice, care for creation and experiential learning. They offer a number of ways you, your congregation or organization can reduce your ecological footprint and show the positive effects of taking these steps.
http://www.newcommunityproject.org/cooling_global_warming.shtml

Some of the most in-depth information about climate change comes from The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
The IPCC is a scientific body established to provide decision-makers and interested others with an objective source of information about climate change. The breadth and depth of the scientific content is achieved through contributions from experts in all regions of the world and all relevant disciplines and a two stage review process by experts and governments. On December 10, 2007 in Oslo the IPCC and former Vice President Gore were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change."

Mandate: “The IPCC was established to provide the decision-makers and others interested in climate change with an objective source of information about climate change. The IPCC does not conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters. Its role is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the latest scientific, technical and socio-economic literature produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change, its observed and projected impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. IPCC reports should be neutral with respect to policy, although they need to deal objectively with policy relevant scientific, technical and socio economic factors. They should be of high scientific and technical standards, and aim to reflect a range of views, expertise and wide geographical coverage.”

This web site has includes in-depth information about climate change and includes charts and statistics.