Your resources are infinite. Start on the Internet. One of the best known sites is a petition by Dr Fred. Seitz at www.oism.org/pproject which sprung out of an earlier "open Letter" originally written to the attendees at the enviro conference in Rio and was later highlighted during the conference in Kyoto. It was first published in the Wall Street Journal. Seitz currently has about 20,000 signatures and they are REAL scientists.
www.sepp.org is Julian Simon's site. He is dead now but was an economist at my alma mater- University of Maryland- and a great debater on this topic
Ronald Bailey: "The True State of the Planet" and "Earth Report 2000". These are dry reading as they are compilations of scientific research but necessary if you really want to know what the REAL story is.
Climate of Fear- Thomas Moore. Very good.
Environmental Overkill- Dixie Lee Ray. A former governor of Washington state. She collaborated on this book and it is well researched.
Eco Freaks- John Berlau. I'm actually reading this one now. It is also researched and provides sources. This book is a bit more entertaining than "scientific", but that doesn't mean the info offered isn't good.
Townhall.com also has several links to conservation and wise use sites from which you can "jump off" and find more info.
No one would ever suggest we shouldn't use some common sense and apply a little care to our planet, but what the left wants is control and the use of environmentalism is just another way to accomplish their means. Just about every thing they have told you for the last 30 years- from warming to holes in the ozone to having fear of asbestos and DDT are lies and it behooves us to know the real story before we hand over any more of our freedoms.
While what you say is true it is important to note that in each of the cases cited in your last sentence, they have successfully changed world opinion and accomplished their stated goals; why should we think it will turn out different this time?
With 6 billion people it would seem that wasting a few is very little damage for a battle as serious as this.
They have practically won, already we see carbon-trading and such, even if it proves later to be complete ineffective, it will still have the patina of good intentions and, at most, just appear worn and dated like statues in old and neglected parks.
By then we will be knee-deep in the next world crisis with so much work to do.