That’s a very good summary of the problem facing our species. I used to be more optimistic that we could deal with it well, thinking, as “Market Mad House” said, “I’d suggest the British response to World War II ie muddling through is probably the response most people will follow. However, we’ll need leaders like Churchill to show the way.”

But now I realize that’s not a good analogy. World War II was a very focused conflict between clear “other” enemies. People could rally around a charismatic, decisive leader like Churchill. Climate change is a diffuse problem of a very different kind to which we ourselves are the main contributors, although many of us are not willing to acknowledge that. There is no easily understood single strategy for knowledgeable leaders to articulate that people will agree on and follow. Instead, many of the leaders we have been selecting recently are fools or con men who have convinced people to try simplistic ideas like going back to an unrecoverable past.

Some lucky humans will muddle through the next century, all right, but for many of us it seems it’s going to be catastrophic. We do have no choice but to carry on; so let’s at least start choosing wise, compassionate leaders who understand the true scope of the problem and will lead by example not just by slogans.