Americans would say, if offered the choice between losing Florida to the sea or cheaper gas prices, "so what's the downside?"

I would totally understand if Floridians got really mad at the people who are unwilling to change their lightbulbs to LED ones in order to save their land.

This is a fundamental dynamic of human behaviour. To deny this is detrimental to the goal of reducing climate change and improving the environment we live in.

This is why i think we need global policy changes and regulation to achieve the commonly beneficial goals.

If we wish our species to survive long-term we might need to educate ourselves so that we behave in less selfish ways. I don’t live in Florida, but I am doing my part in saving it (I love my friends who live there).

That is naive. Humans are selfish, we need to accept this and adapt our poicies accordingly - as we have historically.

We can give up, of course, and always assume the worst out of everyone, including us, or we can use whatever tools are within reach to, at least, try to make better humans.

While I agree we aren't the nicest species of primate (that title goes to our cousins, the Bonobos), I also believe a lot of our nastiness can be attributed to nurture rather than nature.

My point is that as individuals we are not OK with making individual sacrifices if the neighbour does not have to. If everyone makes the same sacrifice we are OK with it, see GP's point.

My feeling is that any individual is OK with sacrifice as long as they are not unfairly disadvantaged relavitely to their society/neighbours.

For example: i would not be willing to pay more income tax unless this applied for everyone; even if i wanted higher income taxes.

What you say is that most people are uncomfortable to lead by example. I still think it's nurture, rather than nature, that makes us like that.