Have we failed to slow global warming pollution in part because climate and environmental activists have been too polite and well behaved?

In reality, Republicans have long been at war with clean energy. They have ridiculed investments in solar and wind power, bashed energy-efficiency standards, attacked state moves to promote renewable energy and championed laws that would enshrine taxpayer subsidies for fossil fuels while stripping them from wind and solar.

Some studies suggest that the Arctic Ocean may be ice-free by the end of the century.

In the United States, we do a pretty good job of protecting iconic landscapes and postcard views, but the ocean gets no respect.

One of the big questions in the climate change debate: Are humans any smarter than frogs in a pot? If you put a frog in a pot and slowly turn up the heat, it won't jump out. Instead, it will enjoy the nice warm bath until it is cooked to death. We humans seem to be doing pretty much the same thing.

Extracting oil from the tar sands is a nasty, polluting, energy-intensive business.

It's not all Obama's fault: His plans to rebuild America's energy infrastructure have been hampered by the recession, and his efforts on global warming have been stymied by Tea Party wackos and weak-kneed Democrats in Congress.