With Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth released on video last weekend, and with the Supreme Court intending to hear its first case on global warming starting today, human-induced climate change is clearly a hot topic.

In a case led by Massachusetts and supported by the Environmental Protection Agency, 11 other states (including Washington) and various environmental nonprofits, the Bush administration's stance on the regulation of carbon dioxide emissions will be challenged in the high court.

The EPA is seeking clarification of its authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant, just as it would regulate other harmful chemicals. If carbon dioxide were considered a pollutant, the EPA would likely be given authority to crack down on CO2 emissions.

Carbon dioxide is considered to be a main contributor to global warming, because it is being filtered into the atmosphere at an "unprecedented rate," according to a recent Associated Press article.

While the majority of the scientific community is in agreement about global warming and its cause, different organizations disagree over how best to handle this crisis. The Bush administration, for example, favors allowing industries to develop their own CO2 regulatory policies rather than enforcing an emissions reduction. The EPA, however, argues that carbon dioxide emissions fall under the 1970 Clean Air Act, which would allow regulation of the greenhouse gases as they pose a threat to public health.

When the Supreme Court starts its hearings on this issue today, we hope that the mounting pile of evidence in favor of human-caused climate change is considered convincing enough to overrule the Bush administration.

The window of time we have to act to prevent the disastrous effects of global warming is getting smaller with each passing day. With such a massive coalition built in favor of taking action now, it's time we pay attention.

Global warming is a reality; we must take immediate steps to stop it.