There's a lot of talk about how an effective global warming policy will have to be international in scope and coercive in nature, and that may all be true, but there's a lot we can do in the meantime. Indeed, it's worth remembering how disproportionate our contribution to the problem is:
The difference between Americans and residents of less dense, less inefficient developed nations is stark. This is simple energy imperialism. The rest of the world has to live in our atmosphere whether they like it or not. In the long-run, they're paying to sustain -- or at least perpetuate for a little while longer -- the manner of living to which we've become accustomed. And we're powerful enough that they can't impose a different set of preferences on us. But morally, it's atrocious. Fairly few Bangladeshis are likely to benefit from our highway system. But hundreds of millions will be flooded out of their homes by the consequences. At this point, with the science so solid, with cap-and-trade plans having been considered and voted down in Congress, a fairly good case can be made that our unwillingness to seriously address emissions is much worse than anything we've done in Iraq. The fact that it feels lazy rather than evil, and that the deaths and costs are long-term and less direct, doesn't change the tally.
The difference between Americans and residents of less dense, less inefficient developed nations is stark. This is simple energy imperialism. The rest of the world has to live in our atmosphere whether they like it or not. In the long-run, they're paying to sustain -- or at least perpetuate for a little while longer -- the manner of living to which we've become accustomed. And we're powerful enough that they can't impose a different set of preferences on us. But morally, it's atrocious. Fairly few Bangladeshis are likely to benefit from our highway system. But hundreds of millions will be flooded out of their homes by the consequences. At this point, with the science so solid, with cap-and-trade plans having been considered and voted down in Congress, a fairly good case can be made that our unwillingness to seriously address emissions is much worse than anything we've done in Iraq. The fact that it feels lazy rather than evil, and that the deaths and costs are long-term and less direct, doesn't change the tally. 
