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'Think globally, act locally." There's no issue more applicable to that bumper-sticker philosophy than global warming.

The issue's severity and importance inspire the desire "to do something," yet its complexity feels overwhelming. How a single individual can prevent cataclysmic climate change seems incomprehensible.

Global warming is, however, a local issue that each of us can address, as reflected in a new study and a mayoral statement.

It's easy to see the ramifications of melting glaciers on a television show exposing the possibility of Canada's polar bears becoming extinct within 25 years due to the rapidly shrinking ice cover on which they depend for food and birthing. It brings a tear to the eye when a mama polar bear is caring for one tiny cub instead of two or three robust babies normally delivered.

Arizona is contributing to global warming and that tear can be turned into local action.

Global warming pollution in Arizona increased 464 percent between 1960 and 2001, according to "The Carbon Boom: National and State Trends in Global Warming Pollution Since 1960," a report that analyzed government data and was released last month by the Arizona Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund.

The analysis ranked Arizona among "the top 10 states for the largest overall increase in carbon dioxide emissions over the four decades."

Carbon dioxide and methane are among the "greenhouse gases" that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere.

More frequent heat waves, extreme droughts and water shortages due to the drying of the state's snowpack-fed rivers and streams are among the impacts of unchecked global warming that the report predicts.

Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup plopped the issue in our back yard last week when he issued a press statement announcing that he and other U.S. mayors support the goals of the Kyoto Treaty.

The Kyoto pact is an international effort to control global warming linked to greenhouse gases. The agreement was named for the city in which it was negotiated — Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. The treaty limits emissions from 35 industrialized countries and exempts developing countries so they can grow industrially and economically.

The United States, along with Australia, has refused to sign the agreement because of concerns that it will hurt the U.S. economy and that it favors rapidly industrializing countries. The administration's solution includes voluntary emission controls and incentives to develop clean technologies.

While the mayors' group will have little impact on Kyoto Treaty compliance, the group's pledge to work on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in their cities sends an important message home: Cities and individuals can make a difference.

As Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson points out in a commentary on the next page, Salt Lake City embraced the emissions reduction target of the Kyoto protocol and has reducing emissions more than 21 percent.

Walkup outlined several ways that Tucson is trying to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

First, it's capturing methane gas at the Los Reales Landfill and piping it to a TEP station for electricity, which is a positive for the environment and the city's coffers.

Walkup's statement said that in 2004 the program offset burning 14,388 tons (or 28.8 million pounds) of coal and relieved the environment of 21,103 tons of carbon dioxide and 127 tons of sulfur dioxide.

On top of that, "TEP pays the city $500,000 a year for the rights to the methane," press materials said.

In addition, the city dedicates 1 percent of its electric bill to solar energy projects; uses some alternative-fuel buses and hybrid cars; has a solar-powered parking garage Downtown on Pennington Street; and requires energy-efficient practices in its building standards.

While we might not be able to directly help those polar bear cubs, Walkup's statement offered some ways that members of our community can help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions:

● Drive less and at lower speeds, keep tires inflated properly to get maximum mileage, and limit engine idling as much as possible.

Fuel efficiency was among the policy recommendations of the Arizona PIRG report. The report notes that the Union of Concerned Scientists said that a fully implemented 40 miles-per-gallon standard would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars and light trucks by almost 400 million metric tons each year.

The added benefit of a 40 mpg standard: National oil use would be cut by 2.3 million barrels a day, about as much as the U.S. imports from the Persian Gulf, the PRIG report said.

● Recycle, use compact fluorescent light bulbs and think solar systems, double-pane windows and insulation for homes and businesses.

Individual conservation makes a difference. "The Carbon Boom" reported that in the past two decades, energy-efficiency standards for household appliances have reduced greenhouse-gas emissions by 53 million tons per year. Conservation lightens our electric bills, too.

● Plant trees, which absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. A new tree in your yard may not have a huge impact on the atmosphere, but it will add to the ambience of our community and to the local wildlife habitat. Call Trees for Tucson at 250-8220 for more information. You can visit www.tucsonaz.gov/tcb/tft for an application.

Scientists and politicians need to wrangle strategies and solutions to address climate change on a global basis. While they're debating, our community can take local action.