In 2005, Revkin told us that the climate debate would "swing on" questions like "How much does one value the quality of a child’s adult life?"

Passions and Detachment in Journalism - NYTimes.com

[Revkin, 2005] But no one can ever expect to see a headline in The New York Times reading: “Global Warming Strikes. Seas Rise. Coasts Flood. Crops Fail. People Flee.” All of those things are likely to play out if the world does not find a way to stop emitting greenhouse gases as the global population goes to 10 billion or so and rich and poor nations continue to grow their economies. But they will be dispersed in time and geography, constituting the ultimate slow drip.

What this debate will swing on, ultimately, is the softer stuff –- things like evolving values. How much does one value the quality of a child’s adult life?