Everything you're saying is really just support for my argument. First, quality of life changes will be "foisted upon us." By nature of the fact that resources have value, we'll be forced to pay for that which we consume, and if we can't pay for it, we don't get it. That's how capitalism works, and how capitalism generally protects scarce resources (I'm ignoring a lot here for the sake of brevity, but you get the idea).

The "tipping point to inspire massive change" will have to be a change we have the technology to effect (affect?). If our air sucks but we don't have air purifiers, then we move to mars or something. It would be silly and inefficient to make a massive change until we reach said tipping point; that's why it is a tipping point.

Lastly, I have trouble caring about things that will happen after my lifetime. This is especially compounded by the fact that I I'm not too interested in having children, giving me less reason to care about the world in 100 years. I'm not advocating foolhardiness, but there is a certain amount of screwing the earth and hoping for the best in the future that I'm willing to accept.