Are We at a Tipping Point?

I couldn’t help noticing quite a convergence at the end of last week. First the National Academy of Science announces that the earth is the hottest it’s been in 400 years, and human activity is responsible.

Then we have a flurry of local news:

• New emissions standards for cars in Oregon
• Randy Leonard pushes for an alternative fuels policy for the City of Portland
• The Oregonian Editorial Board jumps in on the side of reason (our side)
• The Business Journal says sustainability is essentially becoming standard business practice

Is Federal energy policy now irrelevant? Can we solve global warming and peak oil with a combination of local policy and enlightened business practices?