Global warming is becoming such a huge problem that sometimes it’s hard to imagine that we can solve it. But the truth is that we can.

And we must. Most scientists agree that global warming will bring more extreme weather like Hurricane Katrina, more tropical diseases like West Nile Virus, and more environmental havoc here and around the world. Scientists also agree that global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels, and that to stop global warming, we must dramatically and quickly change the way we get our energy.

It won’t be easy, but history is filled with examples of people accomplishing things once thought to be impossible. The cure for polio. Putting a man on the moon. Overthrowing apartheid in South Africa. Personal computers the size of cell phones. It might sound far-fetched today to say that in less than 50 years we can get all of our energy from clean sources like wind and solar, but with today’s technology we can already get 20 percent of our energy from clean sources like wind and solar. Just imagine what we can do in ten or twenty more years!

Campus Climate Challenge

We’re tackling the challenge of global warming here on campus with the Campus Climate Challenge. Our goal: reduce the campus’ global warming pollution almost down to zero. We’re thinking solar panels on every classroom building rooftop. Our own campus windmill. And classrooms and dorms so energy efficient that they barely need any heating or air conditioning. The Campus Climate Challenge is a project of over thirty international, national and statewide student organizations joined together through the Energy Action Coalition. By 2008, over 1000 universities will have taken the Campus Climate Challenge. Get involved and help stop global warming!

Read about Smith College's Million Monitor Drive.