Planet Earth has cyclical weather patterns. We have Ice ages every 40,000 to 100,000 years. In recent history, geologically speaking, Antartica had lush forests. Global warming is a natural phenomena, as is global cooling.
Now the Earth-Mother herself has called Global Warming a major catastrophe. Our great scientific mind, Barbra Streisand has announced it, it must be true.
We have messed with the environment. After her blockbuster pseudo-science book. Silent Spring, Rachel Carson saw to it that we stopped using DDT - the claim was made that some songbirds shells were getting dangerously thin - well we have thick-shelled songbird shells, but a massive loss of life due to malaria - a disease that was easily controlled by DDT.
Remember the overpopulation scare? I remember being told that by the year 2000, we'd run out of food on planet earth.
We have eliminated preditors in our wilderness, now the Deer and Elk are surrering from overpopulation. But the Big Bad Wolves are under control. BTW - there has NEVER been a credible account of a healthy wolf attacking a person.
A recent Rand report (sorry, I can't find it) says that there is more oil in ANWR than Saudi Arabia. However we can't annoy a couple of Caribou. Today's drilling technology easily avoids harming the wildlife, but we have to be politically correct about this one.
In all honesty I'm way more concerned by the damage done by out Politically Correct friends than I am about the possibility that we will damage the planet. It will take care of itself, it always has.
And to our dear Ms. Streisand -- to quote Laura Ingraham:
Shut up and sing!