Much of the general population is preconditioned to believe the misinformation about climate change. It is FAR easier to think it is a hoax, or not that big of a deal than to actually confront and understand what is a complex, non linear and scary future under climate change.
The issue is, rather, "well okay if that's true... what do I do about it?"
The most immediate impact anyone can have is to consume less. Drive less, use less gas and electricity, buy less junk you'll just throw away in a few months or years anyway. Other stuff like solar panels and electric vehicles or hyperloops or whatever simply can't have the magnitude of impact of: consume less. Now, once everyone is consuming less, the other stuff will start to matter. But until then it's majoring in the minors.
But as people on a frugality forum know, the message "consume less" goes against the whole culture of the West. It's not a popular message, and it's also not popular amongst those speaking most fervently about climate change. This is because, as much as we like to make noise about ideological divides, a strong divide across the West is
class. And the greenies are typically upper middle class, so they like their flights and shiny cars and piles of junk to buy.
Even people I know who are educated on climate change and have the means to make changes still fly a lot.
Indeed. I am just reading a book called 2040, about changes the authour would like to see. He talks about going all over the world to learn about things, he'd mention if he were sailing or something so he must have been flying. Flying to a climate change conference is like hosting an abolitionists' conference at a slave plantation.
If actions speak louder than words, then even most greenies are climate change denialists.