What happens when there are too many generations who do not realize (mine included) that we haven't been paying the true costs of everything in society for a while, including caring for the environment:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/co...-rift-american-left-spark-u-s-climate-n946296
This sort of problem affects more than just climate change, it affects social programs, infrastructure, standard of living, everything.
This is one of those problems for me of "ethically I'm liberal, but fiscally and law-and-order I'm conservative." For example, I'd back Bernie Sanders, except I know darn well there is no way we could ever responsibly pay for everything he'd want to do. (Note: I did not say "Democrat" and "Republican"...both the major parties are such a mixed-up, irresponsible mishmash.)
So really, the Yellow Vests are likely not the first manifestation of this dilemma we'll see. Whether I'll see things like this here stateside remains to be seen (we don't have quite the history of protest France has), but the frustration is there (hence Trump getting into office).
We've all been living in this world of "credit is good; debt is good" mindset for so long. And being forced to barely make it by check-to-check. Something has to give eventually, and it may be the environment gives way first because we don't directly control it like we do various points of the economy.
Maybe the very planet we live on may be what finally knocks the house of cards down?