The US has 5% of the population, but uses 25% of the world's energy. we can certainly make a difference.
here is an example of a tipping point: there is a lot of frozen methane under the ocean in places like the Bahamas and in the Arctic. If all that methane were to melt and be released into the atmosphere, that would accelerate global warming even more.
here is how global warming could cause Europe to go into a deep freeze: the Gulf Current is a stream of warm water in the Atlantic Ocean that begins in the Caribbean, travels up the Eastern Seaboard of the US then across to Europe. It brings mild temperatures to New England and to Europe. If the Greenland ice sheet were to melt rather quickly, you'd have all the cold fresh water being dumped into the northern Atlantic. The gulf current would break down, probably take a generation or two or three to reestablish itself. the lack of warm water being brought to the west coast of Europe would cause Europe to have long and severe winters.
The Frozen methane in the oceans will never melt.
It is frozen because of the enormous pressure of the water above and the thermocline of the ocean, which keeps the water at about 40 deg. This will never change it is science.
You want to know how you could greatly reduce energy consumption.
Insulate your freaking buildings and change your windows. This is the reason America uses so much energy for Air Conditioning and Heating.
A typical home in California os insulate to an R8 while in Canada it is R20.
Most energy consumption is used for power production. Reduction of energy usage through higher performing buildings would be the most help.
Followed by more efficient air conditioners and heat pumps and lastly by using better furnaces.
The other thing that must be done is the improvement of industry process that would help to reduce energy.
