I think that Maniates makes a good point in that for serious change to take place more drastic action needs to take place, however I do not think that anything more then little steps will actually occur. Our society has acquired a taste for the consumer world that we live in and have grown accustomed to the way in which we conduct our lives. Nothing more than small steps will truly be effective in changing the way people live and work. As Maniates mentions our society has been able to make drastic changes however in all the examples the US was facing a more tangible opponent than climate change. In both the Revolutionary War and WWII, as well as the Civil Rights Movement it was much easier to point a finger at exactly what the problem was, and the threat it posed to the health of the nation as a whole, but in the case of climate change this is proving much more difficult.

Because the country as a whole has refused to act in the drastic manner that some say is necessary then it really is acceptable in my opinion to work at the issue in a simple manner that involves the least amount of change. Besides even Maniates admits that these small steps will in fact work to some extent. That being said I do agree that trying to tackle environmental problems will take more work than just recycling and that more dramatic changes in our transportation, energy, agricultural, and industrial systems is necessary.