"Going Green? Easy Doesn't Do It" Response

In his piece "Going Green? Easy Doesn't Do It," Michael Maniates insists that we must, as individuals but even more so as a society, move past the "easy" environmental solutions espoused by politicians, activists, and even celebrity enthusiasts to institute "fundamental change in our energy, transportation and agricultural systems." We must sacrifice much, much more than we do now if we are to really combat global climate change (as Maniates notes, some figures indicate that the U.S. would have to reduce its emissions by 80% in 30 years- 80%! 30 years! Personally, those figures astound and depress me in their immensity). I certainly agree that more must be done, that "easy" changes won't cut it in the face of the grave environmental threats humans are currently imposing on the earth. But I also feel that anyone who has read the literature on global climate change has read this. Maniates claims that environmental elites treat us like children, but I get the exact opposite sense from much of what I read. As I said, I find much of the environmental literature disheartening precisely because it points out just how much we must do, and it seems infeasible in a world where so many feel ambivalent toward environmental change. The problem, therefore, isn't that no one is calling attention to the vast overhaul necessary to not just slow the growth of environmental damage, but to stop it altogether. Instead, the problem is that consumers aren't responding to these messages. Whether it is because they don't care, choose not to believe what they read, or feel overwhelmed and then do nothing, they only respond to the "easy," convenient, cost-effective solutions.
Maniates also blames politicians for treating us like children. They do treat us like children, but I think not for the reasons Maniates proposes. First, the way our political system is set up does not incentivize taking long-term action that may in the short-run be costly. Overhauling our agricultural, transportation, and energy systems would cost billions of taxpayer dollars, so any politician looking to be re-elected in two, four, or six years has no motivation to pass such laws. Second, and equally important, is that we act like children. Maniates claims that we "understand the necessity of hard work and difficult choices," that "we're ready for frank talk about how we best confront... the planetary emergency before us." I fundamentally disagree. I don't believe that most Americans would be willing to entertain the idea of giving up the "consumer culture" that characterizes our society today. Sure, many of us are willing to take the "easy" steps toward greening our lives by recycling and turning off the lights, but I believe that the majority of Americans today simply do not care enough about climate change to inconvenience themselves in terms of time, money, or resources in order to save the planet. 
In sum, I agree with Maniates that easy doesn't do it. But the problem isn't that no one is proposing the difficult solutions, it's that the public is not receptive of them.