The government is the least of your worries, says Andrew Winston.

Oct. 2, 2008 - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law a new green chemistry package regulating the use of toxic materials at the product design stage.

July 30, 2008 - A top executive at General Electric told Congress this week that the best way to beat climate change is to assign a dollar value to carbon emissions, Reuters reports.

July 21, 2008 - California has become the first U.S. state to mandate energy- and water-efficiency standards for all new building projects.

July 16, 2008 - Software services firm Compliance and Risk has launched an online database to help electronics manufacturers track the impact of global environmental regulations on their product categories.

July 8, 2008 - Starting January 1, 2009, California will expand its Smog Index Label for new cars to include data on greenhouse gas emissions.

A carbon-cap bill has died in the U.S. Senate. But judging from the slew of corporate climate goals and initiatives hitting the news lately, U.S. business isn't waiting around for the other shoe to drop. By Will Sarni

June 9, 2008 - A Senate bill that would have cut total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions 66% by 2050 has fallen just short, netting support from 54 senators but failing to earn the 60 votes needed to pass, Reuters reports.

May 22, 2008 - A proposed global-warming fee for businesses operating in California's San Francisco Bay Area has been approved by the region's air board, San Jose Mercury News reports.

May 16, 2008 - The U.S. will be home to a $1 trillion carbon trading market by 2020 if policymakers follow through on current plans for a domestic cap-and-trade program, according to analysis firm New Carbon Finance.

April 11, 2008 - The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a U.N. regulatory body, may place a tax on marine fuel as early as next year in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry, Reuters reports. IMO estimates that global shipping released 1.12 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere last year and may increase 30% by 2020.

March 17, 2008 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved stricter emission standards for diesel locomotive and marine engines. The new standards aim to cut particulate pollution from diesel engines by 90% and smog-forming oxides of nitrogen by 80%.