I remember the "paper shortage" when I was a kid.  After saving
and conserving paper with the best intentions, I felt betrayed when I found out
that we no longer have a paper shortage.  I remember asking myself
"what does that mean that we no longer have a paper shortage? Does that
mean there are more trees now?” I concluded (in terms that a child would come
up with) that the paper shortage was created and that moralistic
arguments were used to change my behavior for reasons that had little to do
with environmental conservation and saving trees, and I resented that, even as
a kid. 

I don’t go for moralistic and dramatic arguments, (at the same time I believe
that global warming is happening, based on my own interpretation of
environmental measurements).  They turn me off.   I would rather
that the discussion focus on: who does the environment belong to, and what is
sustainable economically and environmentally?  What are the real economics
involved in the use of environmental resources such as burning of fossil
fuels?  Let’s have an integrated and big picture examination from this
perspective (or look at the work that has been done in this area).  Who
currently makes a profit on the resources that are used to supply energy? 
How much profit do they make?  Is this working?  Is this
sustainable?  Why have many alternative technologies not been explored further
up to now?  Let’s examine the current system, learn from our mistakes and
move forward.  It seems to me that a carbon tax is a step in the right direction. 
Should anyone make a huge profit on the resources that we use to supply energy?
 How is the cost of that energy determined and where is that money
going?  What are the cheapest (including consideration of environmental
economics) ways that we can produce energy? Given limited energy resources,
what are the best ways to motivate individuals, large corporations, and our own
nation, to conserve fuel and to consider the true cost of their actions? I
think that the answer is to have a sustainable system that charges the true
cost for the energy used.