Some climate scientists have been somewhat transparent about this, saying "if we told you how bad we think it's going to be, you wouldn't believe us, and if you did, you'd panic." So they've publicized the most conservative possible predictions, with the hope that if people see the problem as approachable, they'll have enough optimism to try. It seems that gambit has failed, as the clathrate gun roars to life, the peatlands in Canada dry to tinder, and so much more.

And still the denialists look back 120kya, saying "it was this hot back then and we did fine."