"Consequences which occur at a later time, good or bad, tend to have a lot less bearing on our choices the more distantly they fall in the future… even when one’s life is at stake. " - Alan Bellows https://www.damninteresting.com/hyperbolic-discounting/
The immediate future looms large in human psychology. People tend to care more about near-term payoff or danger than what might be coming down the pike in a few years. This tendency to downplay later rewards or threats – called hyperbolic discounting – probably evolved because prehistoric conditions were too harsh for long-term calculations to be of much benefit. Live for today because tomorrow may never come.
The bigger the delay, the greater the uncertainty, the less likely a person will care enough to do much about it. Insisting that something bad will happen years from now doesn’t increase certainty or urgency to act, especially if the argument relies on highly complex models and debatable assumptions. Nor does an argument from authority persuade if one doesn't respect or trust that authority.
“Think for yourself” and “question authority” are cultural norms – inconsistently observed yet still valued. Push against these norms and you get resistance. Push harder and you get more resistance. Repeat over and over, and they just walk away.