In the summer of 1996, I saw the movie The Arrival. (Spoiler Alert) In the film, aliens disguised as humans have built power plants which are escalating global warming by covertly venting hot gasses into the atmosphere. The warming will help force the extinction of humanity while making the planet habitable for the invaders. Astronomer Zane Zaminski (Charlie Sheen) manages to obtain a videotape of an alien, Phil Gordian (Ron Silver), revealing the plans of the invaders. A few years later, I watched the movie on TV. After an exciting scene involving a deadly “vacuum cleaner” at a radio telescope station, one of the aliens trots across the desert in an ostrich-like gait. The film broke for commercials. I waited for the end of the movie. It never came. Apparently, to make a few extra bucks from a few more commercials, the network had deleted the finale in which humanity is saved: Zaminski hacks into communication satellites and the alien plans to heat up the planet are broadcast on TV stations around the world. Well, that’s the perfect model for our future, isn’t it? There will be no happy ending for humanity. Efforts to control global warming will be interrupted by a “commercial break:” the profit demands of the fossil fuel industry. Given the chance, humans will more often than not choose short-term profit over long term survival. To quote Gordian, “If you can’t tend to your own planet, you don’t deserve to live here.”
The power is in your hands. Don't blame this on the fossil fuel industry. We (consumers) demand an ever easier lifestyle, and will pay good money and buy whatever is necessary to maintain that lifestyle. Very few will sacrifice their modern conveniences and luxuries. Not the wealthy nor the poor will ever willingly give up what they have gained in a better life.
Global warming is beneficial. Your aliens are improving the agricultural yields, amount of arable land, precipitation, irrigation water, life expenctancy, and over all standard of living of the human race.
