@breadandcircuses part of the problem is that our drives are dictated by our instincts and emotions. We can understand that we will be in trouble in a decade at an intellectual level, but we have a much greater emotional attachment to the current self. This makes it hard to make sacrifices now for the abstract future version of yourself.

People inevitably end up prioritizing their current comforts and hoping that future problems will somehow get solved when the time comes.