I disagree with the point of view expressed in this NYT opinion piece, for many reasons, but find it interesting that it is becoming an increasingly vocal one. There was a similar piece in The Guardian, fairly recently.

Curious if one looked at their back issues from the end of the 60s whether you'd see similar pieces re Limits to Growth, massive food shortages, choking to death on pollution, etc.

Good question. My sense is that in the 60s and 70s the militant or idealist response to anthropocene doomsayers was a call to brotherly love and return to nature, e.g. raise kids in a commune or on a farm.