Strange Environmental Bedfellows

Scientists report that greenhouse gas emissions must be drastically lowered "as early as mid-century in order to prevent warming that could change precipitation patterns and dry up sources of water worldwide."

Concurrently, CNN reports that 46 leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) have "criticized their denomination in a statement Monday for being 'too timid' in confronting global warming." The SBC represents 16 million Americans and is the largest Protestant denomination in the country.

Any reduction in greenhouse gases or carbon footprint will require political action. To date, in the US most political action has occurred at the state and local level, not federal. More from the Washington Post:

For now, at least, a goal of zero emissions appears well beyond the reach of politicians here and abroad. U.S. leaders are just beginning to grapple with setting any mandatory limit on greenhouse gases. The Senate is poised to vote in June on legislation that would reduce U.S. emissions by 70 percent by 2050; the two Democratic senators running for president, Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.), back an 80 percent cut. The Republican presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), supports a 60 percent reduction by mid-century.

^{Related:
Global Warming - Causes, Effects and Solutions
U.S. Climate Action Partnership: A Coalition for Change
Kyoto Protocol: Overview: Environmental Issue
Britain Says Climate Change Real, Cause For Prompt Action
Climate Change, Katrina and Muzzled Scientists}