"But surely they'll realise they're crashing the economy?"

"We have to raise awareness that these actions will burn the planet!"

"They'll stop once they see the impact on human lives, especially their own people."

We have to remember that the destruction is the point. They do want to reset everything, believing they are best placed to be the only survivors of the human race and the ones to start a new era. That's also why they amass so much more wealth than they need now.