That begs the question
No it doesn't, it raises the question.
Were number one!
Were number one!
Were number one!
we'd have to get developing titans like India and China
This gets bandied around a lot as a "reason" not to do anything, or to do very little, about reducing human impact on the environment (Not saying that this is your point, just picking the words out). It's crap for two reasons: first, the impact of the US on the global environment far outweighs India or China's impact, now or in the foreseeable future. Secondly, and more importantly, the argument effectively says "can't fix everything so there's no use even trying." It may be that you can't fix everything, but we have to start somewhere, and doing something is better than doing nothing.
Beware of Programmers who carry screwdrivers. -- Leonard Brandwein