Absolutely, but only if we make enough noise.

Last fall's elections replaced committee chairmen on Capitol Hill with people who have an open mind on global warming. But that just allows the debate to begin. So far most of our representatives and senators think global warming is a "third-tier" issue for their constituents-they don't know that this is the greatest challenge confronting our civilization. And so they're likely to act too modestly if they act at all-passing some new law that calls for only small cuts in carbon emissions and takes too long to get started. If we allow that to happen, the pressure for change will fade away, and by the time it builds again the scientists might just tell us that it's too late.