It's not even short-sightedness, it's failing to internalise externalities[0]. And of course the current profiteers will do everything they can to keep things as they are, see e.g. the fate of carbon taxes whose entire purpose is to try and internalise some of the externalities into capitalistic frameworks.
Any system which rewards short-sightedness over long-sightedness is going to create long term problems.
Until we have a single world government, no single country is going to be willing to spend money protecting the environment while other countries keep profiting from its pollution.