As much as we all agree or disagree about climate change.. we all know that the people of earth have only a finite time on it. Regardless of what we do to it, earth will change and most likely for the worst. That does not mean that we don't give a damn about it, but how many reports of "the earth is screwed" do we need. We know the earth is screwed. Each year we get a magic estimate of when its too late, if its too late, how too late it is, what can be done to reverse it 30 years ago, what could be done to reverse it today, etc.

Now if the entire planet can get behind it, yes you would get incremental climate change and the earth will be healthier for us... but eventually we will not be able to change it.

China needs a cleaner Beijing. Deforestation must end. Cleaner fuels must be used. Each would require essentially a Renaissance in order to change.

China would have to give up coal, which is the bedrock of much of its power generation outside of the major cities. Cars would have to change over to non-fossil fuel forms of power generation. Recycling would have to grow to a near 1 to 1 conversion. Now all of this is progressing regardless of who says what in whatever government there is. All government can do is either incentive or remove funding and support for initiatives that are put forward by the common man.

I'm not concerned about the environment not because we are not hurt it, we are. I am not concerned because our technology has not caught up to the damage that we do to the earth. So until electric cars, ships, trains and planes are in widespread use, I am still going to drive my car, I'm still going to order stuff overseas and have it shipped, I'm still going to take the train to work, and I'm still going to take planes to fly overseas.

The earth has only so much to produce, and at some point it will stop. We all know that, and so do the leaders of these countries on it. Will it effect us in our lifetime so much that we will be forced to change our behavior... that is the great question.

That's the question asked every single day and that is answered every single day by every scientific entity... because that's what pays the bills.

We don't know if we will get innovations beyond answering that question until we stop asking the question we already have the answer to and paying the people to repeatedly answer it.

Now if the otherside wants to just say "Its all ordained", so be it as long as progress is made on either end. I care little about who owns whatever or for what reason.. as long as its created, its of use, and it moves society forward.

Whether its climate change models, or space exploration, each will have their time. In 4 years we maybe asking about climate change again, and instead of funding future exploration, we fund self preservation......

The world does not revolve around what the United States do.