My 2 cents are as follows. The idea that all of a sudden human beings shere existance on the planet will cause it to die in our lifetimes, which is basically what the climate change believers mantra boils down to, is a a load of old B*****ks. A has been said, the existance & current lifestyles of a huge number of people is likely to be threatened within the the next 100 years but the threat will come from mankind as we compete (& fight) for a dwindling amount of natural resources. When the oil runs dry most of western civilization is likely to go with it, as has been discussed here before. So we are the threat, not some Earth Mother Godess having a bad hair day.
All that said though, there are some good things to come out of this. If fairly sceptical people like me start believing that we should pollute less, by stuff that is more locally produced, buy stuff with less packaging etc.. then collectivly we will will be using less resources. The problem is that everybody needs to do lots of little things for a change to be made. That means that the emerging world needs to buy into this, the US has to get serious about it etc.. all of which is starting to happen slowly. It will take another generation before it makes a naticible effect but we will get there.
It's things like the eco light bulb, that use less power with more or less the same amount of light. If they are just bought by the Mong Bean brigade then it wont have an impact; but now the old ones are being phased out, so everyone will be using them soon = lots of saved power.
That said, I believe that 'Global Warming' is the political masterstroke of the meillenium. It let's governments take more & more money from you, while claiming to be 'saving the planet' (Man!). It misdirects a huge chunk of left wing politics into fighting for an issue that we can not prove actually exists (bit like Bin Laden 10 years on). It has deepely ingrained a set of new values into science, architecture, transportation that some believe is almost a herasy to deny.
Meanwhile I have to pay more & more to drive a fast car car. It's only going to get worse.....