This week, the Obama White House released its first major climate report, and let me say that it's nice to see the federal government acknowledge global warming.

The report outlines the impacts of climate change nationally and on different sectors - health, transportation, agriculture. It also lays out regional impacts. A fact sheet shows that, in the Northeast, cities will see hotter days and more air quality problems, traditional agricultural sectors like fruit-growing will suffer, and ski areas in the Finger Lakes and Western New York region may become far less viable.

It's worth combing through the report and its accompanying website. But a big question remains: will state and federal legislators take the report seriously and act on energy, transportation, and emissions laws and programs to mitigate these changes?