Any country that is facing economic stagnation (most of the developed world) is going to be hard pressed to inflict short-term pain for long-term gain.
I can think of at least two scenarios where that doesn't quite hold: in times of war and also in times when austerity-espousing politicians "have" to make budget cuts and focus those cuts on social welfare programs. Then comes all the flowery language in support of "shared sacrifice" for the greater good. Then, they are usually able to make very persuasive arguments for inflicting short-term pain. One would think these same politicians could use their rhetorical power to help avoid cataclysmic climate change.