Your missing the point of view of a large component of GOP support in the USA - if one views the apocalypse as a desired result to per Revelations in the Old Testament, then the second coming of Jesus occurs and the apocalypse happening in Israel is a prerequisite. Cabinet members going back to the Reagan administration openly said this was why the EPA needed to expedite the extraction of mineral resources.
Except the elite won't suffer.
In times of upheaval, musical chairs will be played. As a group, the elite stand little to gain from that.