One of the defining moments in the 2008 Presidential race, for me, was watching Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin respond to questions about global warming. The talking point for Republicans has been, and still is, that if climate change is occurring it is not created by humans and therefore there is not much that humans can do about it. Today the Obama administration released a new report on climate change that shows just how dramatically different the Obama position is.

The report, "Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States, is co-sponsored by the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of Health and Human Services, NASA, National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, USAID, Department of Agriculture, and EPA. Among the report's 10 key findings: climate change is "unequivocal" and "human-induced," climate change is happening now in the U.S., the impacts of climate change will increase, and threats to human health will increase.

It appears that the scientists are now firmly in charge of the government's response to climate change, a marked departure from the previous administration which was more concerned with business impacts. The report will add further pressure on Congress to pass the Waxman-Markey energy bill, including the carbon cap and trade provisions. After reading the report, including the assessments on water safety, coastal erosion, and human health, you'll probably want to jump in and do what you can to slow global warming as well.