In fact, encouraging that panic could help distract people from the issue that does threaten them--the impending climate catastrophe caused by the use of fossil fuels. If they can kick that can down the road a few more years, they will reap tremendous profits before they die, and, I don't know, maximize their score. They're rich enough they don't need more money. They're just addicted to the game of making money. For their short term profit, any mention of climate or pollution concerns must get slapped down. If society actually made them pay for the environmental damage their industries cause, that would wipe out their profits.
I think in their hearts, Charles and David know they are contributing to a climate catastrophe in the making, but have deliberately decided to leave it for the next generation to deal with. Their public policy of denying climate change has probably led to not paying attention to how bad the situation really is, though. They probably don't understand the lag time built into the climate system. If we stopped using carbon-based fuels right now, the warming would still continue for decades, and tipping points in the climate system that we have passed might make catastrophe inevitable.
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