I'm talking about the wealthy west. So I do include myself. I agree that developed countries got us here.
I'm not sure an alternative could have been be very likely. We found a cheap, easily consumed polluting energy source that massively increased output. The negative effects are felt in decades or centuries, while the positive effects are felt almost immediately. This is a tough position to be in. Even though some people in the 19th century were well aware that this was a recipe for disaster, it would have taken an enormous amount of control and discipline to avoid the situation we're in now, if it were avoidable at all. Even today we haven't begun to reduce [global co2 emissions] and we have more awareness than ever.
Making this a moral issue is completely counter productive. People inventing the internal combustion engine and the amazing improvements to the quality of human life enabled by fossil fuels, did not set out to bake the planet.
Climate change is a technical problem in need of technical solutions, along with the economic insights and political will to make it happen.
We are all in this together now. Figuring out who to blame accomplishes nothing.
that would only be true if there weren't a group of people who firmly believe we are not in this together and are fighting those of us who do tooth and nail.
