Another sign of the green tech revolution sweeping the auto industry: Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group have followed General Motors Corp. in joining the United States Climate Action Partnership, a coalition that wants to reduce greenhouse gases tied to global warming.

The alliance of big business and environmental groups told President Bush in January that mandatory emissions caps are needed to reduce the flow of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere.

Ford and Chrysler on Wednesday announced their membership in the coalition.

“We are at a critical stage in the conversation on climate change, energy consumption and environmental protection,” Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally said in a statement. “We all recognize it is time for action.”

Mulally and Tom LaSorda, Chrysler Group president and CEO, both said their companies support the partnership’s push for cost-effective, but quick, new technologies.

“We have been actively developing a range of advanced technology vehicles to address the climate change issue, reducing our energy consumption on a global basis and working to create vehicles with the environmental innovation our customers desire,” Mulally said.

Read more on the Great Lakes IT Report website.