The ruling: The Environmental Protection Agency ruled there was compelling scientific evidence that global warming from man-made greenhouse gases endangers Americans' health.
The significance: The finding signaled the Obama administration was prepared to push ahead for significant controls in the United States if Congress doesn't act first on its own. It also upped the ante for a new international climate treaty.
The price: New EPA rules could force the sale of more fuel-efficient vehicles and require plants to install costly new equipment, and energy prices for many Americans would probably rise.
What next? Next week President Obama will address the U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, which opened Monday with emotional appeals from those countries endangered by rising seas and other damage from climate change.
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