"Let us not forget about the climate. We are doomed unless we get go renewable in the next decade. By 2030, we are cooked, literally is what we are told.
But then again, 40 years ago, we were going to be frozen in a block of ice."

Not literally cooked, but scientists say that we won't be able to avoid the worst effects of climate change in the future if we don't take action by 2030. As for the block of ice predictions, they were made by journalists and not scientists.

Of course, we can clearly see that fear is a motivating factor in climate skepticism. Penn Jillette, the well known entertainer, is a very vocal climate skeptic, yet he admitted in a television interview that he's not skeptical of the science, but of our ability to find a solution which doesn't involve bigger government or conservation. There was no courage in his words.