“Wealth is necessary to give a damn about the environment.”
I’d add that wealth is necessary to do a damn thing about the enviroment. The richer, more productive the countries of the world are, the better placed we are to adapt to climate change(warmer or cooler the world may become). Don’t cripple our economies with ineffectual Kyoto Accords and caps.
But it takes really big wealth to use the environment as a weapon to prevent others from threatening their position atop the wealth pyramid.
The environmental movement is all about establishing a new monarchy where the kings and princes will once again have their own hunting preserves and God help any commoner caught poaching.