I’m a child of the 80s. They were talking about this stuff when I was in high school.
The name keeps changing which is annoying and _yes_ in the 1990s you couldn’t publish a research paper without tying it to Global Warming because yes, that’s where the funding was.
But was it all just a big multi-decade ruse to attempt to take down the fossil fuel industry?
Maybe.
China doesn’t seem very interested in addressing it. They’re not a part of *our* “big oil” as they have their own industries.
But anytime Climate Change comes up China just gets quiet and change the subject.
Ultimately, our opinions don’t matter here because neither one of us is in any position to do anything.
I’m of the “GIVE A HOOT, DON’T POLLUTE” era. I did my part, even though I knew that recycling was a ruse by the Ike E’s presidency along with Coca Cola and beer companies to keep them from having to take care of their own waste product and instead foisted it upon Americans as a civic duty, just as they did with recycling.
But at least in those cases, there was “something” to do – even though I knew it was all a neo-liberal shenanigan partnership between govt and corps – it’s not like there was another choice there. outside of ignorance.
But in this case, really our opinion doesn’t matter. It’s up to governments and corporations. Out of our hands. Might as well just pretend everything’s fine I suppose. Let today’s kids or grandkids worry about it in their times.