Think of the debate as a pendulum. At first it was to the left, everyone was going bananas over the end of the world. Now people are to the right, "its a hoax, the science is off, there are crazies running the European push for defeating global warming". But what I think, is in the near-future, when we can be very prescise and know what is going on better, the pendulum will swing to the left again.
I think climate change (i hate the phrase global warming) will kick us in the butt after years and years of no drastic activity.