DBP
Unfortunately, population growth and capitalism are currently locked into a unhealthy, co-dependent relationship.
Our whole capitalist model is based on the assumption of endless growth, is it not? It’s a system designed to keep building more new houses for more new people to live in, and to sell all those people an endless supply of c-r-r-rap.
Someday we’re going to run out of raw materials, clean air, and space, of course. But that’s not gonna rain on anyone’s parade until it actually happens. In the meantime, scarcity only drives the capitalist growth model into new heights of ecstacy, by making everything more expensive for buyers and thus, more profitable for sellers.
I believe that we can reach sustainability, but there’s gonna be lots of downsizing pains associated with that. In Europe – where population has been tapering off for some time – they’re still having trouble retooling their economic model. All across northern Europe, they’re finding it necessary to import people to do jobs they can no longer fill with locals. And that, in turn, has led to all kinds of social tensions.
We’re starting to see some of that here, too, with the massive influx of cheap labor from Mexico. Labor that doesn’t wanna pack up and go home when the “job” is “done” (which it never is, of course.)