Stop Global Warming

Quit Coal and Start a Clean Energy Movement

We are changing our planet in a fundamental way. Our world is hotter today than it has been in two thousand years.

By the end of the century, if current trends continue, the global temperature could climb so high that the climate and weather patterns that have given rise to human civilization would be radically different.

But it didn’t happen on its own. We’re driving climate change by burning fossil fuels like coal and oil. In fact, coal-fired power plants are the single largest U.S. source of global warming pollution.

America's coal-burning power plants, in addition to causing global warming and climate change, are killing tens of thousands of Americans, poisoning our air and water, and making our children sick.

But a brighter future is possible. Over the next three years, Greenpeace will:

1. Join local communities to shut down dangerous, dirty coal plants all across the United States.

2. Advocate for strong laws to curb global warming and put America on a path to clean energy.

3. Expose climate deniers, like the Koch Brothers, and hold them publicly accountable for providing millions of dollars to lobby against climate and clean energy policies.

4. Kick-start an Energy Revolution by advocating for clean-energy solutions like solar and wind power.

Research has shown that with current technology, renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and geo-thermal can provide almost all of our primary energy demand.

Join the movement to get coal out of the way of clean energy, and give our elected officials the courage they need to protect our health and environment.

The Science

Climate change is a reality. Today, our world is hotter than it has been in two thousand years. By the end of the century, if current trends continue, the global temperature will likely climb higher than at any time in the past two million years.

While the beginning of the 21st century may not necessarily be the warmest time in Earth's history, what is unique is that the warmth is global and cannot be explained by the natural mechanisms that explain previous warm periods. There is a broad scientific consensus that humanity is in large part responsible for this change, and that choices we make today will decide the climate of the future. Read more.

The Problem

It’s not hard to see the result of our reliance on fossil fuels. The full impact of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster may take a generation to reveal itself, but already hundreds of species of marine life have been affected, as have the communities that rely on the Gulf. Around the country, communities face devastating levels of water and air pollution as a result of coal burning power plants, which produce millions of tons of toxic sludge and smoke each year.

Fossil fuels also account for more than 80% of US global warming pollution. Global warming, if unchecked, threatens to fundamentally change the planet that has sustained our civilization. In the US, we’re already seeing some of the effects—wildfires tearing through western states, devastating floods in the midwest, and historic droughts in the southeast. Read more.

The Solutions

With current technology, renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and geothermal can provide 96% of our electricity and 98% of our total heating demand — accounting for almost all of our primary energy demand.

Investing in renewables could jumpstart our flagging economy, creating millions of jobs that can’t be shipped overseas. It could put the US back at the forefront of the 21st century economy, in front of China, which in 2009 became the largest global investor in renewables. Read more.

The Roadblocks

In addition to advocating for solutions to global warming and climate change, we are doing our part to call out the work being done — often secretively — to block climate regulations and policies that would kickstart the clean energy revolution.

Below are a few of the projects and resources we've created to try and remove roadblocks to progress on stopping global warming. Read more.

International Campaigns

Climate change and global warming are a priority issue for us here at Greenpeace. We realized years ago that it has the potential to wipe out most of the gains the environmental movement has made in other areas. Disruptions to ecosystems will likely harm everything from minke whales to coral reefs to polar bears. Whole forests will be lost, and hundreds of thousands of species will become extinct. Read more.

Resources and Reports

A breakdown of Global Warming and Energy related reports, publications, images and news. Read more.