It is refreshing to hear a top government official speak with candor about climate change. King acknowledges the urgency with which governments must act if we are to avoid the most catastrophic consequences, the beginnings of which we are already experiencing.

King fails to mention is that we have at our disposal the tools to make immediate and significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions. It's a solution that each one of us can implement right now - we don't have to wait for the development of new technologies that will sequester GHGs or for nuclear power plants to come on line. Simply stated, reduce your consumption, increase your conservation.

While governments seek to expand their economies and simultaneously attempt to reduce their GHGs (a nearly impossible task in the short run), we consumers can exert immediate influence by buying less of everything and using less energy. We can urge those institutions that we are a part of (employers, schools, religious organizations, local government) to adopt similar policies. When aggregated, these actions will have a substantial impact on the amount of GHGs that we are producing.

Now is the time to act - the time for doubt, hand-wringing, defeatism, and the belief that it's someone else's problem is over. Let's roll up our sleeves right now and get to work on making our own personal contributrion to the solution.