Too little, too late, still making a difference

The planet won't notice whether you or I forgo that out-of-season grape or recycle religiously. That much is clear. The answer needs to lie in changing policy.

Some of the more obstructionist forces in Washington and rich capitals elsewhere have tried to use similar logic as an excuse not to do much of anything as a country.

That may be true if you are Costa Rica or my native Austria. It doesn't fly for the United States, the European Union, or other countries that purport to be more than a cute speck on the map.

It clearly doesn't work for the developed world as a whole.

Stephanie Waldhoff and Allen Fawcett have disproven that straw man once and for all. Of course it would help to have a global deal, but developed countries acting alone now (with developing countries doing nothing for a decade) would still get us almost halfway to the goal of stabilizing the world's climate.

Sometimes the planet does notice. What are the chances of DC noticing this as well?