Its deliberate political policy dictated by a self-serving, purely financial agenda. They can read the tea leaves as well as the scientists can, they simply want to extend their economic supremacy right up until the bitter end.

If we think of these people as bumbling, well-meaning fools seduced by a silly ideological program, they are going to eat our lunch. Their program is to maintain conditions that maximize their profit and power for as long as possible, the rest of the world be damned. These guys are not just mistaken, they know exactly what they're doing and they are both ruthless and evil.