From Wired Wednesday, February 08, 2006 1:56 p.m. ET

By Tom Doggett

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States must take steps now to fight global warming, including working with other nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a major U.S. think tank said on Wednesday.

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President George W. Bush
The Pew Center for Global Climate Change said in a report that America has waited too long to seriously tackle the climate change problem and spelled out 15 steps the United States could take to reduce emissions it spews as the world's biggest energy consumer and producer of greenhouse gases.

"This transition will not be easy, but it is crucial to begin now," the Pew Center said. "Further delay will only make the challenge before us more daunting and more costly."

The call for action came as a group of 85 evangelical leaders called on the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that would require power plants, oil refineries, the transportation sector and other U.S. industries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.

The evangelical leaders, breaking with the White House, will roll out an advertising campaign; the group last year lobbied against gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles.