Why do we think in the short term regarding population and climate problems?

Population: Eventually, the population will reach a level where we can no longer produce enough food to support it. This will be followed by a period of starvation, war, and famine. (See Malthus&Dawkins link)

Without some serious population control, we will starve ourselves to death.

Extraterrestrial threat: I doubt this is a real threat to our species because we will either destroy ourselves by that time or colonise other parts of space (hopefully the latter)

People's opinions: People mostly don't care because they a) don't see an immediate threat and b) think the end of the world will be a good thing (see Rapture link) so won't do anything about it even if they could.

You're dealing with three different subjects:

1) Population: War, famine and disease solve this. They're very effective.

2) Climate: Religion solves this one, since it is clearly an act of god. Transfer of wealth is involved. Modern religion really is working on this problem. Again. Buy your indulgences today, before it's too late.

3) Stuff happens: Have a blast until the asteroid hits. And watch shifts in the Earth's the magnetic field. These guys are planet killers. Just ask any Martian or Earth-bound dinosaur...

Time for me to order out pizza before it's too late...

well right now because we are not actually dropping dead because of all of the air pollution, the rich countries are not going to do anything about it, they are way to busy trying to be the worlds richest and most power full ones ,and that way they will disregard the current environment many of them don't care about the worlds resources they just want to get rich this is the price of modern life, our own self destruction.

i don't think itll get to then..i reckon mankind at least will have become extinct way before 4-5billion years and probably due to our own making..

THEN AGAINNN..by then technology will have probably expanded so much that we wont even be living on earth anymore!!