The rise in humanity's emissions of carbon dioxide has accelerated sharply, according to a new analysis.

The Global Carbon Project says that emissions were rising by less than 1% annually up to the year 2000, but are now rising at 2.5% per year.

It says the acceleration comes mainly from a rise in charcoal consumption and a lack of new energy efficiency gains.

The global research network released its latest analysis at a scientific meeting in Australia: Much of the work done by CSIRO.

Full story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6189600.stm

This can't go on, but it will. Colorado and Alberta have Oil Shale deposits that dwarf the oil fields of the Arab States, we'll NEVER get the petroleum "Monkey" off our back.
I saw an analogy (here, I think) that compared our dependency on oil to a Smoker's use of tobacco. We know it will kill us, but we use it anyway. The crazy thing is, a Smoker can't SEE the damage that's being done. They can't SEE the cilia being torched from the lining of their lungs, they can't SEE the oily residue accumulating in their bronchus. The human race CAN see what's happening, but we don't respond. We have satellites that let us SEE the Ice Caps disappearing. Our dedicated Scientists can SEE that we are losing our biodiversity. They're already calling this a Mass Extinction Event, we are living during the Holocene Extinction.
I have two little girls, 7 and 2. I'd like for them to live in a World that was better than mine. I joined this Forum hoping to e-meet like-minded people. But the most vocal members, by far, are those who get giddy trying to discredit those of us who ARE concerned. Case in Point - "Australia's not warming up, nanny-nanny-poo-poo". If you can't reach these guys, how do you reach Joe Six-Pack, and the Ladies watching "Desperate Housewives"?

You are right about the Oil-Shale deposits, here are some more Oil/gas findings which should frighten us all.
http://www.gasandoil.com/goc/discover/h_left.htm

Plus there are some huge Gas reserves under the Mediteranean Sea...off the Egyptian coast and Gaza
I will try to find the URL later (but it is a possible reason for the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks going on at the moment)

Human beings are greedy there is absolutely no way you can get any one to cut down on their use of energy/power. A few hundred or or a few thousand individuals trading in their gas guzzling
tractors for bicycles, and switching off a few light switches will have no effect, other than drive you to mental distraction in the end.

Nevertheless, I am personaly optimistic, even though I know pollution and its effects will get a lot worse in the near future.
I firmly believe that Science will eventually come to rescue our world.
Could we force anyone to use less energy?(without a revolution)
Manufactures will eventually realise that by producing more energy efficient goods that are cheaper, the financial wheels will still keep turning to keep them in business.
Remember radio valves and their hot filaments?
Well I am optimistic that all electrical appliances will be using Transistors that only require 2.6volts (maybe even less) and a few watts to run all the gadgets we now use in homes today. Including LED lighting. At the moment any lighting would be dimmer, electric vehicles would run slower. Street lighting, a terrible waste of power, could be LED on verticle poles. Be lowered down nearer the street, even switch off, when no street movement was detected. There are far too many street lights any way.
Personal security - Goverments and what the present lighting manufacturers have to offer....dictate what they believe is best for public interest. We all started off on the wrong foot, expecting the summer heat and light to last 24 hours a day.
We need to learn to expect less, far less, and relax more instead of driving around at high speeds which require brighter lighting. Manufactures as I stated above have to sell more efficient goods cheaper.
Night lighting, one day might be direct the Sun down to Earth by Mylar reflective parasols.
Hot water for homes is the one item that most of us would complain about, were it to come out less hot, but modern solar collectors such as they use all over Israel, might have to be the standard used.
Recycled everything, and that means Furniture, as another best way to cut down energy/power.
If Manufactures came up with a strong plastic granular "chipboard" filled with everything including plain beach sand? If strong and long lasting and above all cheap, it would catch on.
Prehaps the real problem is the Kilovolt AC transmission lines that carry power across continents. If the final stepdown Transformers were restricted to an output of a few volts, and 5 Amps, (per household)things like pollution would see an immediate change for the better.
But of course that might mean every home and apartement would need one of these low power Tformers installed,.... would we have the copper?
Still if we dont do something, life as we knew it, will come to a slow dirty smoggy halt.

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"You will never find a real Human being - even in a mirror." .....Mike Kremer.

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I used to laugh at the idea of using reflectors for night time illumination; until I started observing Satellites. An Iridium Flare is caused when a communication satellite adjusts it's Main Antennae Array. The Antennae are only 4' long and 16" wide. But when the sun hits them they produce a Magnitude Brightness of -8, several degrees brighter than Venus ever gets. We already have the technology to do it. Just no incentive.

To see Iridium Flares, log onto "Heavens Above". There you can see down to the second Visual Fly Past predicitions of everything from the ISS to Space Junk.

Wolfman wrote:
"If you can't reach these guys, how do you reach Joe Six-Pack, and the Ladies watching "Desperate Housewives"?"

I know and it is as poignant to me as were the nuclear tipped ICBMS of the Soviet Union in the 60's. This is also a war in which there will be no winners.

My suspicion as to the solution is two-fold.

First ... one can read Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" and at least understand the enemy.

Second ... everyone seems to feel that resistance if futile. And yet they are unwilling to muster the courage to confront the corporate corruption that is the true enemy.

Mike wrote:
"I firmly believe that Science will eventually come to rescue our world."

I'm not. There is no evidence to support this. Science without funding will not solve the problem. And funding would necessitate stopping the denial.