I am currently visiting in Penang MalaysiaIn in part focused on Global heating  and the local political climate. Several observations. The first,  competition is intense in this clan based ethnically complex world. in this world people are very aware of their social status and place in the hierarchy and not very interested in things that lay  outside up and down social movement for themselves and clan. I am struck by how hard it is for people to think about certain aspects of global warming. for example, air-conditioning. People are not generally aware that air-conditioning takes heat out of an internal  space and put it into the outside environment , heating it. Many  seem to not have an idea that alternative forms of energy, such as electric produced by solar, also use that energy to drive processes like electric cars or air conditioning that continue to generate heat.  With such conceptually incomplete thinking how is it possible to deal with climate change at all? People want more cars, more hi-rise 60 to 80 stories high, all in the context of anxiety about jobs and interns Competition in every aspect of life.