The housing example I offered is of course not unique to San Francisco, but I spoke to it specifically because I live here and have had to deal with it professionally.
But I also spoke to it because a very very high percentage of the people fighting this housing density will tell you climate change is an existential crisis. That's what I'm trying to understand from your perspective. These aren't people who need convincing of the importance of dealing with climate change.
But when it comes to their neighborhood and quality of life, that trumps the science. And of course our local politicians will all say climate change is an existential crisis but these people fighting density are the ones who elect them to office, so they have their own incentives they respond to.