You couldn't have put it any simpler. Chances are, humanity will put what it wants over what it needs.

Globally, advanced militaries run on petroleum. The US military is the largest user of petroleum in the world. Petroleum has been the dominant military asset of the last century. There are lots of initiatives to switch to renewables, but logistically it's not possible on the time line we need.

This is the big secret. The military industrial complex runs the US. It needs oil to control the world, which it uses to get more oil. No politician will ever dismantle the military. You know what people who get in the way of petroleum extraction get called? Terrorists.

The entire power structure of the US, Canada, Europe, etc, relies on the continued military domination of former colonies. It's a house of cards built on oil.

Any path away from oil is also a path away from militarism, colonialism, and corporate domination. Climate change will kill everyone, and the ruling class is willing to sacrifice as many people as it takes to figure out a new resource they can control to maintain power. The problem is that there's no other resource, so they're just going to sacrifice everyone until the system collapses.

This is what we're fighting against, and we need to face the fact that it's not just some people who don't understand. It's ghouls and windigos. We are fighting monsters who know full well the house is burning. They are sacrificing us to get to safety.

Probably in the atmosphere in the form of CO2.

The many, many species facing extinction as a result of changing climates & pollution.