"Despite decades of studies and climate summits, greenhouse gas emissions continue to soar. Energy scientist Vaclav Smil says it’s time to stop ricocheting between apocalyptic forecasts and rosy models of rapid CO2 cuts and focus on the difficult task of remaking our energy system."

Here is the hard truth. Consumerism and the modern life is a great life, but that comes with clear costs. If you truly want to save the Earth, then understand that the human race as a whole must sacrifice many of its wants and desires and basically live with less in order to leave a smaller environmental impact. Until people figure out a way to somehow collect and recycle all the waste created by constant buying, spending, and throwing away of our trash, this is the only realistic option if we want to protect the planet in the long run.