Bill Gates is a relative newcomer to the fight against global warming, but he's already shifting the debate over climate change.

When it comes to climate and energy, Gates is a radical consumerist. In his view, energy consumption is good - it just needs to be clean energy.

Coal boosters like to tout coal as cheap and plentiful - well, not anymore. At least not in China.

Climate change is a global issue - from the point of view of the Earth's climate, a molecule of CO2 emitted in Bejing is the same as a molecule emitted in Sydney.

Ethanol doesn't burn cleaner than gasoline, nor is it cheaper.

Americans don't pay much attention to environmental issues, because they aren't sexy. I mean, cleaning up coal plants and reining in outlaw frackers is hugely important work, but it doesn't get anybody's pulse racing.

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