#2. The U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP)

The total lack of federal action on climate change is disheartening, but it has left the door open for initiatives from other sectors. One of the best is the U.S. Climate Action Partnership. Launched in January, USCAP brought together corporate heavyweights like General Motors and General Electric with environmental groups like the Nature Conservancy. Together, they're out to lobby the government to do something unusual: increase regulations. USCAP called for mandatory cuts of 60% to 80% in carbon emissions by 2050, and a uniform nationwide market for carbon. When big business is this far ahead of government, it's clearly time for a change.