Solving climate change? Why bother?

It's human nature to address immediate problems and consider remote ones later. It is particularly so for a government that must meet the immediate needs of its citizens. That may explain why only nonbinding agreements could be achieved thus far at international settings on climate change.

Anthony Gibbens is right in his book Politics of Climate Change that the dangers posed by global warming are not immediate or visible to most people. They ignore them. But waiting for them to become visible and immediate before taking serious action will be too late. So he argues that it is a political rather than technocratic problem and it can never be adequately addressed unless it can be put on the political agenda of a specific government.

He is right to a degree. It is indeed unrealistic for the international community to reach any agreement on concrete actions to address climate change. It is unfair and inhumane for developing countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a great margin at the cost of the living standards. And it will be almost impossible for people in developed countries to change the way they enjoy their lives that is apparently leaving more carbon footprint than what is needed to lessen the rate of global warming. Deciding which country must take the initiative remains a hard nut to crack.