Except that Global Warming is a front for a different kind of agenda - that of 'sustainable' development (otherwise known as killing off suburbia).
The city folks might spend less time envying those with big houses and big cars and more time on those that envy them.
I agree. It’s been used as a lever on a number of fronts. Vehicles, housing, energy, urban sprawl... it’s effect on children’s braces. It does get comical at some point, but we can’t take it as a joke. This is serious. And you point out one of the serious aspects quite correctly.