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.

In the Arctic, things are already getting freaky. Temperatures have warmed three times faster than the global average.

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

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.

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

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

Bloomberg's $50 million is not going to revolutionize the electric power industry. But his willingness to fight is already inspiring others to see Big Coal differently.