This sounds like the argument someone in massive credit card debt would give when told to cut their spending. Sure I hope there are ways to solve climate change without lowering standard of living, but if there aren't we still have to do it or our standard of living is going to get lowered from the consequences of our civilizations actions.
I think the point is that we are not that civilized. If the stakes are as high as many claim, we would be waging war to stop climate emissions. Of course, we won't do that. And if we did, many more would wage war to continue emitting (and emit in the process). This is a one-way train unless and until there's a lower-cost, low emissions solution. Humans are humans, and politics are politics. The stakes are too high to "altruism" our way out.
