It didn't start with us. Previous generations also didn't have the tools and information we have. People had to know intuitively that spewing clouds of black smoke into the air probably wasn't good.

In the 1950s we got data showing lead in gas was harmful. Then we got data showing that pollution from cars and factories was harmful. In the 1990s we got data showing that adding CO2 to the atmosphere CO2 was causing global warming and that by 2015 or so polar ice would be melting and sea levels would rise.

What difference does it make how many generations ignored this? Why should what past generations did in any way impact what we do? Leadership is not about being encumbered by history. It's about looking forward.

We have an opportunity, I believe an obligation, to do something about it.

Sorry to say your point is really lost on me. It's not about blame. It's about doing something to stop damaging the environment in which we live.