It is not just industry leaders that oppose change. I also suspect that the apathy of the old is far over stated, and can be tackled if the conversation change

It is not just industry leaders that oppose change. I also suspect that the apathy of the old is far over stated, and can be tackled if the conversation changed. A large number of people are going to be apathetic since they simply have other priorities in life. Perhaps they have a family to support or maybe they are more interested in social issues than environmental ones. This does not imply that they do not care. Then you have people who's livelihoods depend upon the petrochemical industry, either directly or indirectly. Very few of these people have the means or ability to drive change and many of them can only see themselves as the victims of change. One of the issues with the messaging of environmentalists are the dire warnings at the expense of envisioning a cleaner future, making people feel more like victims than a part of the solution. The few who do talk about a cleaner future need to be more assertive about how we will benefit from it and how we can make a smooth transition, so that people won't feel as though it is an endless stream of compromise nor will they feel as though they will lose their role in society. Environmentalists should also be highlighting past successes as a means of encouraging future action. We live in a world that is much more aware of our impact on the environment. We have cleaner air and water to thank for past efforts, while some industries are more sustainable for it. We used to fish until stocks ran out, clear cut with no or limited replanting, contaminate our waterways with the pesticides and through the dumping of industrial waste, and pollute our air with much more hazardous gasses and particulates than we do today. None of that would have changed without if people didn't initiate the change. We need to emphasize that the economy did not collapse for that change. Creating change is only an us verses them issue if we choose to frame the issue in those terms. It is only about young verses old or rich verses poor if we choose to frame it in those terms. We need to get away from those framings in part because the prejudice turns off potential supporters and in part because it makes us blind to the needs that must be addressed while finding the solution.