I know, it must be the weak-kneed environmentalist in me that shudders at the thought of little kids being eaten alive by bears, or any other attrocity resulting from the destruction of the eco-system.  Like, erm, the unnecessary starvation and suffering of animals.

Oh fucking wow.  I just stumbled upon the fundamental flaw in your argument, rk!  The reasoning that it's not worth our time looking for solutions for anything that doesn't directly affect us (just the polar bears, or sick people in Africa, or poor people in NOLA, or Tutsis in Rwanda or whoever else we are lucky enough not to be...) is exactly the kind of arrogant and simplistic logic that actually engenders crisis!  Because it's a small world, none of us live in a vacuum, and we can ignore the poor, the sick, the bears, but so long as we share the same planet, we are going to feel the repercussions of the suffering of others, weather it means eruptions of violence which hinder our ability to travel, trade, research, etc, being faced with waves of refugees from the Sudan, from Nola, from the Balkans, from the north pole, or losing forever plants, animals, etc. wich play vitals roles in the stability of the ecosphere and from which we still have so much to learn...  there are consequences to our actions.  Even for those of us who are among the most priveledged on this planet.  

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire