Step It Up 2007, a national movement, is calling political leaders to bring attention to global climate change by adapting these three comprehensive and science-based priorities into congressional action:

1. Cutting carbon uses 80% by 2050 (reductions of oil, diesel, coal, natural gas—which are the main contributors of greenhouse gases that are causing the overall warming of the earth) 2. Creating 5 million "green jobs" nation wide, which would include research and implementation of alternative and renewable energy such as wind, solar, hydrogen, etc. 3. Calling for a moratorium on all new coal fired power plants, which are digging away the Appalachian Mountains through mountaintop removal and destroying 1000s of American’s homes.

While these goals may seem lofty to some, they are direly needed in order to focus public policies and alleviate global warming. Global warming has been put on the back burner of political agendas for far too long.

Fortunately, however, politicians are beginning to take this issue seriously with more and more people becoming aware of the sobering consequences that will occur in our lifetimes if we don’t change.

No longer is it a partisan issue, no longer is it a tree-hugger issue, and no longer is it a science issue: it is now a human issue. So it doesn’t matter if you’re a republican or democrat, politically charged or apathetic, a hybrid Prius driver or a gas-guzzler, religious or atheist: global warming is occurring. It will affect us and it is up to all of us, including our current leaders, to do something about it.

What can we do? Well, for starters changes to our individual behavior: we can walk to the store instead of jumping in our cars, we can reduce the amount of stuff in our lives, we can recycle, and we can invest into alternative fuels. We also need political action on the local, state and national levels if we want to implement these changes.