We face the erosion and possible collapse of our life-support systems

The problem with a "persuasion drive" is that there's no consensus on exactly what governments should be trying to persuade people of. Any government message on this topic is sure to face a cynical reception among both sides of the culture war ("they are going too far"/"they are not going far enough").

Propaganda is a blunt tool that works best to consolidate popular public opinion but I suspect it might backfire when used to shape opinion in the first place.

There’s a name for it.

Not trying to be alarmist or pessimistic by any means, just pointing to the scientific consensus.

Holocene Extinction.