Two recent events held in Washington, D.C. highlighted the importance of efficiency measures to mitigate global climate change's (GCC) effects. At the Design X Tomorrow: The Future of Technology and Sustainability and McKinsey & Company's launch of Unlocking energy efficiency in the U.S. economy, the common message was simple: increasing the efficiency of energy consumption should be a major priority.

Not too long ago, the concept of a Carbon Footprint was a foreign one. But as global climate change theory has gained traction in the general public, carbon footprint has become common lingo. Online calculators which account for ones personal carbon emissions have emerged as a popular tool for the climate-minded to track and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. These calculators are so prevalent that if you search Google, you'll find a wide selection waiting for your personal energy and transportation data. Here's the problem though: not all carbon footprint calculators are created equal. So to help you parse out the good from the bad, and assess the accuracy of a quick and dirty approach, I tested nine different calculators.

If the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 works its way through the Senate and onto President Obama´s desk, it will mark a significant paradigm shift for the value we place on carbon emissions and uptake. As part of the developing legislation, large emitters would be required to pay for their emissions using a cap and trade scheme (explained here and here). For such a system to work, government regulator must have an accurate means of accounting for both carbon emissions and carbon storage and sequestration.

   The NASA Earth systems science initiative just entered its 20th year, and to mark the occasion, NASA held a symposium at the National Academy of Science to review some of the scientific accomplishments made possible through the endeavor. Over the course of the three day symposium, scientists presented their research and discussed the impact of the NASA earth systems science initiative on the current understanding for a wide range of social, scientific and economic issues.