Exactly because of such impending Armageddon message people can start treating climate activists as Jehovah's witnesses. As fake messengers who fool people to squeeze some money here and there for their organisation. The message must change from "we are all going to die!" to "hey, humans seem to be negatively affecting nature, here is some reasonable advice on how we could potentially fix it to make the world a better place".
By all means, such hysteria never works:
> This is why I’m a doomer. Because the world has already ended, and human nature prevents it from creating a better world. Now, I’m just waiting for the end while enjoying the time we have left, like someone watching their last sunset.
Invoking hysteria works great when making the case for war. Suddenly millions of people turn into angry bees that are willing and ready to be sacrificial pawns in someone else's deadly game. Nothing in our evolutionary history has prepared us for climate change, however, and it shows.
What are the examples where we reasonably and rationally agreed on a positive long term change that short term harmed us?
I think it really happens when the harms of not doing the thing actually start happening and the pain of not doing it now becomes greater than doing it now.
That would likely mean once we get powerful enough (which might be global climate change/industry) we'll have one that we can't 'fix' in time eventually.
By all means, such hysteria never works:
> This is why I’m a doomer. Because the world has already ended, and human nature prevents it from creating a better world. Now, I’m just waiting for the end while enjoying the time we have left, like someone watching their last sunset.