What I never see in the articles from the optimists is a workable action plan. They all say "we need action now, rah rah rah", and that we must demand it, but what precisely is that action that will actually turn this shit show around in time? What will life look like once we shatter our current reality so categorically and abruptly?

I could be wrong, but from everything I've read I'd say nothing short of a lifestyle revolution, globally, will do it.

Cars, gone. Airline travel, gone. Cryptocurrency, gone. Oil, gone (and by side effect, plastic also gone), heating and air con, gone, concrete and advanced construction materials, gone. Engines generally, gone. The list will be severe and tragic.

We in Western countries need to reduce our footprints from 15 - 45 tonnes of CO2 each per year to less than 1.

I don't think anyone, anywhere is ready for this. We're talking a regression in lifestyle and convenience so epic that people would literally rather die. And we can't support 8 billion people without industrial technologies anyway.

To be honest your friend that is smoking and drinking his existential anxiety away is entirely relatable.