Are you sure? Does the climate change affect your personal life more than inability to afford reasonable real estate or kid-related expenses off most today's salaries?
The severe consequences of business as usual emissions with no mitigation will easily be felt within the lifespan of even the oldest Millennials and probably a great deal of Gen X. Gen Z and Millennials' children are looking at inheriting a hellscape of famine, unprecedented extreme weather, and forced migrations to escape unlivable crumbling infrastructure that has never been maintained to standards from decades ago, let alone to a level that will withstand the new conditions.
Here's just one example of a single point of failure that could cause a global economic shock. There are certainly many more such shocks on the way: https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/If-Old-River-Control-Struc...
Some people are able to look past their own noses and think about other generations and what their descendents' lives might look like. That weighs heavily on some people
It shouldn't weigh so heavily that people give up on their future, never settle down, and never own a home. The article says these generations' primary aspiration was to travel. That is naive and wasteful. It isn't a choice between greed and saving the planet, it is a choice between making responsible financial decisions and having fun. You can make responsible financial decisions while making responsible environmental decisions.
I'm sure saving up 2k to go to Spain one summer is really going to put a dent on a home. 5% down on the median home in my area is 30k now.
If your housing market is that messed up, then your rental market is probably even worse. Not being wasteful just because it is easier than being responsible is the entire point of my original comment. Spending money on things you can "afford" that make you happy now instead of saving for things that you need and will give you a sustainable life is short sighted.
Who knows what the future holds? We could solve climate change then all be wiped out by a mutated virus. Worrying about it doesn't help.
For me personally, it does. However, I am not a typical member of gen z due to my high salary. Most of my friends, who all make much less than me, are more worried about immediate needs but climate change is a dark cloud looming over their heads
I think this is an under-appreciated sentiment/perspective. A darker take on "Ignorance is bliss."
Who has time to worry about tomorrow when they struggle to get through today?
I live in a low COL city, so most of my friends and myself are doing pretty well. Most of us, also including myself, are not planning on having children due to pessimism about the latter half of this century so child-rearing costs aren't really a concern.