The parable of the wealthy West's approach to the climate crisis:
So we're all living in a house that came with a shared account. We've noticed that the account is already in the red and will hit its limit in 20 weeks or so. If that happens we lose the house
There's one guy who's been spending $50 a day on just about whatever he felt like (threw much of it away when it bored him)
Most everyone else has spent about $5 a day for decades on only basic necessities
They just started plans to buy a few more things
Now this guy tells everyone we need to go to 0 spending in just a few months time
His plan: He will slowly spend less, maybe buying a few things on sale and maybe go down to $30 or so in ten weeks time (and he'll be hoarding food for himself all along the way)
Everyone else he says needs to go to 0 spending at about the same pace and he doesn't really care that they have almost nothing now and won't be able to afford even the bare necessities
Also he's perfectly happy to pass the house laden with debt and with nothing in the account to the next tenants when he moves on