There's no one solution to slowing global warming -- there are many. From energy conservation to biofuels, there is a whole toolbox full of exciting possibilities to help human communities reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. In 2005, Princeton scientists Robert Socolow and Stephen Pacala developed the concept of "climate wedges," based on graphs of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. They project that currently available technologies can act as a "wedge" to level off carbon emissions. Click here to read their paper.

Renewable energy solutions represent a wide array of projects in which communities large and small can become involved. Energy companies can invest in huge solar arrays, wind farms, geothermal and hydroelectric facilities. Rural communities can use wind farms as a way of bringing additional revenue into struggling family farm-based economies. Individual households and businesses can install rooftop solar panels, a small wind turbine, and of course engage in energy conservation by purchasing Energy Star-rated appliances. And biofuels are the wave of the future -- Michael Pacheco of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently announced that "the United States has the ability to yield more than a billion tons of biomass annually for energy needs without negatively affecting our needs for food or fiber." An important feedstock currently being tested is corn stover, or the waste parts of plants that include stalks, leaves, and husks. Combined with other feedstocks, including other plant waste from agriculture and forestry, as well as prairie grasses and other woody plants grown commercially for biofuel production, it will be possible to replace 30% of the 2004 gasoline consumption levels with cellulosic ethanol by the year 2030.

The Will Steger Foundation strongly believes that market-based solutions are the way forward in creating the sustainable economy of tomorrow. We also believe that a sound national energy policy is necessary to provide incentives for industry and communities to switch from fossil fuels to renewable solutions.

The Will Steger Foundation also endorses the urgent need for an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.