Who would've thought it could start in Kansas?

Last week, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced it denied a permit for a massive coal burning power plant to be built in Holcomb, a town made famous by Truman Capote's book, In Cold Blood.

The reason?  It wasn't because of mercury, although coal burning power plants spew large amounts of the potent neurotoxin.  It wasn't because of nitrogen oxide pollution, which forms acid rain and smog.  No, it was because of carbon dioxide.

That's right, carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, the reason our climate is changing.  It also happens to be the most abundant byproduct of fossil fuel combustion.  And the decision by the state of Kansas represents the first time ever that a coal burning power plant has been stopped because of greenhouse gases.

But it's only a start.

Scientists report we need an 80% reduction greenhouse gases by 2050 to effectively combat climate change.  So while stopping a new coal burning power plant is a big step forward, we can't stop there.  We need real reductions if we're going to save the planet.

The good news is, if we can stop a coal burning power plant from being built because of carbon dioxide emissions, we can do anything.  This monumental step forward gives us the momentum we need not just to keep greenhouse gases from increasing, but to reverse the trend of global warming.  The tide is turning and Kansas is leading the charge.