First, take as a given that we and the rest of the planet will not achieve carbon emission levels sufficiently or in a timely manner to avoid climate change. The 'developed' world will pursue its present lifestyle with some token changes in carbon policies for political ends and the 'undeveloped ' world will do everything in its power to grasp the lifestyle we have achieved. This is not cynicism, but rather how we behave as a species. The only solution is to manage climate change as best we can and devote all of our resources, while we can and in humane way, to achieving a much lower global population. The earth might sustain 3 billion people with its carbon footprint but 10 billion (by 2050) will lead to a cataclysm that is quite unimaginable.