Lets start with motivations.

You start with morality, equity and ethics but those are only motivations when they work toward our self-interests.

A sane person only does things that they perceive will benefit their self-interests. Why would I punish myself to benefit a stranger?

not particularly sensitive to the plight of strangers distant in time.

I personally do it because it hurts me little and improves my self-image. I feel better because I sacrifice for the benefit of the future. My sacrifices are small. If you ask for bigger sacrifices, I might balk.

So sacrifice for religious reasons.

Some might feel the need to sacrifice to avoid a backlash that would cause the future generations to punish us for our failings.

What you are suggesting does not have the critical mass of support to be politically viable.

While it is hard to get people to admit they don’t care about the future of the planet or future generations that does not mean they care enough to sacrifice. There are people who pray for Jesus to come and take them away, they think the end of the World could be in their lifetime.

I don’t see a way for this to get done democratically. The majority of the population will not support it, not now and not in the future.

Until the sacrifice is so small that majority won’t mind, they won’t agree to make the sacrifice, they will make excuses or decide to disbelieve.

TEK