I once had a boss who didn't know what the EPA was. (Needless to say, that job didn't last.)

The Environmental Protection Agency has been one of America's most controversial government agencies since the day it was formed, and it remains a political hot potato, especially in this election year, when several GOP candidates are calling for the agency's elimination.

Discover what makes the EPA so effective -- and so polemic -- in this brief history of the EPA.

The role of greenhouse gases in global warming and climate change can't be overstated. But where, exactly, is this gas coming from?

The EPA can tell you: Their new, searchable map of greenhouse gas emitters pinpoints the largest stationary sources of CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases. Does someone in your neighborhood have gas?

This election year might be a good time to get involved, if you're not already. Issues like economic inequality, climate change, war and gay rights promise to make this an interesting political season.

But will the Green Party emerge as a potent force for change? Historically, the Green Party has been a bit player in U.S. politics, unlike other countries where it enjoys greater prominence like Germany, Canada and the U.K..

Learn more about the Green Party. Who knows, you might like what you see.

Trees store some 45 percent of the carbon on our planet's land surface -- but where exactly are these trees to be found?

Scientists at NASA have created one of the most extensive and accurate maps of tree cover anywhere, highlighting those regions where forests are thickest and hold the most carbon. (Just look at the Pacific Northwest!)

With forests and other sources of woody biomass energy increasingly important to a post-oil world, this is great information for everyone to understand.