and not the sci-fi movie 'the Butterfly Effect' but the philosophical insight social movement that the small effects each of us can generate can combine to change for the better the very real threats to existence that the OP speaks of.

Yes... that headline is comedy GOLD!

"people are powerless to fight the desire to consume."
Dead wrong, it's the opposite actually

You're not in control. You're a leaf floating in a breeze.

Accomplish what you will, death awaits you. The world will forget you. Every species goes extinct. The universe is moving towards heat death.

Human population is going to hit 9 billion by 2050. That's just how it is. We're already locked in for climate change. Our chance to stop it passed us a few exits back (don't feel bad, you're in the backseat with the rest of us, you ain't drivin'). Them fishies are being depleted, and empty ocean fisheries will mean empty bellies on shore. Water is going to get expensive as aquifers drain (can you say "Ogallala?”).

We are, however, an active species striving to survive. Rest assured, we will not just sit around and die. We will migrate by the millions and get in to wars to secure dwindling resources. Count on "real-deal" war this century.

The human condition is curious in that we're burdened with death awareness. Knowledge that you're living in a difficult century too is nothing to pout about. The human race will make it. We're like cockroaches. Sure, a few billion of us might not make it through the crucible, but we're a tough species and the species we engineer to replace will be even tougher. Consciousness in this pocket of the universe has a bright future .

Now pay ATTENTION, I know you feel sad, but don't worry about saving the world. Worry about living well with the time you have. Don't fix the big world on the outside, work on the world on the inside. Help other people. Be nice. Work on your relationships.