I fear its going to take catastrophe on a global scale. Look at New Orleans... it has always been vulnerable to flooding, but only becoming increasingly vulnerable as the coastline eroded, bringing the gulf closer to the city. The coastline eroded largely because the levee system prevented the natural siltation that replenished the marshlands. And the city and levee system have been sinking further below sea level by subduction, as freshwater, oil, and natural gas are pumped out from beneath it. Plus, with global warming, the oceans are rising. In twenty years we will probably see New Orleans-like cataclysms all over the world, as highly populated coastlines are submerged. Global warming is calculated to create millions of climate refugees, in much poorer parts of the world with even fewer resources to respond. People get ready.

"Our standards of living are being lowered, and all for what?"

Oh, that's easy. Profit.