Foundations by far the largest donor community and good indicators of where benefactor interests lie now give about $1.5 billion to the climate change cause per year, down from a $2 billion peak seven years ago.

And many of these activities such as wildlife protection have little if any effect on actual climate change. Never mind the billions more spent by the Interior and the Energy departments, which also aim policies at climate change mitigation and environmental causes. And a new round of concerts is planned for June by the organizers of the Live Earth campaign with the goal of acquiring one billion signatures from individuals concerned about climate change. According to the International Energy Agency, it will take about $1 trillion per year in funding through 2050 to mitigate the effects of climate change.