However, the most important thing is to participate and to organise a STEP IT UP 2007 event in the first place.

If you can get a few individuals together - well done. You have made a difference. If you get a few hundred to participate in your action - excellent! And if you can get more than a thousand people to join you - absolutely brilliant!! You are making a huge statement!

To build numbers simply start by sending an email to friends and family. And then ask them to email their friends and family. Simple networking really works - no matter if you are planning to walk to Lands End or are looking to organise a discussion group or other Climate Action.

Will Parliament listen?

The short answer is definitely yes!

The wheels of Government turns slowly and no more so than dealing effectively with global warming and climate change - the greatest challenge confronting our planet and future generations.

But the tide appears to be turning. Not just in the UK but worldwide. In the US President is finally on his way out and one might hope that he will be replaced with someone who is willing to act and listen to the voice of the people. China and India is also starting to signal that they too understand that words no longer alone will solve the problems we face.

The more we - the citizens of the world - can to do increase the pressure on those in power the faster the wheels will turn. We are moving towards a situation where we no longer are expecting change - but demanding change - and fast - before it is too late!

Why not just have a march on London?

We share the view of the US campaign that it's important for our elected politicians to know the people back in their constituency really care about this issue. (And we hope you'll invite them to come pose for pictures with you at the rallies-in many cases, they'll be eager to show up. And even if they don't come, the message will start to sink in).

We also think it's going to be truly striking for people in the UK to turn on the TV and see their countrymen engaged in positive action across the nation - many in places that familiar to them.

We want to defend the United Kingdom against the massive change that would come with global warming.

Not only that, but staying close to home cuts down on carbon emissions-which is the point, after all.

Why are we asking for 80% carbon cuts by 2050?

Our request of Parliament is simple: that they put the UK on a course to cut carbon emissions 80% by the middle of the century.

This sounds like a lot-but in fact, it's less than a two percent reduction a year. It won't be easy: it will take commitment and resources to switch from fossil fuels to new sources of energy.

But it needs to be done: the latest science tells us that temperatures are increasing faster than expected, and the results are showing up in melting ice caps, intensifying storms, and rising sea levels.  America's foremost climatologist, NASA scientist James Hansen, has said that we have just a few years to start reducing carbon emissions, and he's endorsed our goal of 80% by 2050.

That won't prevent global warming-it's already too late for that-but it may be enough to stave off the most catastrophic effects. And it's possible. The cost of renewable energy is falling fast. New conservation technologies, like hybrid cars, are becoming more available. Many Americans are starting to switch already, but only leadership from our elected Government can allow this transformation to happen fast enough. And if we begin to get our house in order, then we can play some role in helping China and India steer away from cataclysm as well.

There are no guarantees we'll succeed. But if we act ambitiously, we have reason to hope.