Reply #25: Can you do those two things at the same time?

[The2ndWheel]

Our impact on the environment is so large because we use more of the energy on the planet in order to create wealth. The more wealth created, the more impact on the environment. Yeah, we can make the impact of each individual person less, but if you add a few billion new people into the equation, what happens? Not only add those new people, but increase the wealth of those already wealthy, AND the new people.

That's the main problem. In our increasing integrated, one-size-fits-all world, once someone has something, it's only fair that everyone gets it. I just don't see how that will negate our impact on the habitat.

If we want everything, there will be consequences. There will be consequences no matter what we do, but the more we decrease poverty, the greater our impact on the environment. If that's what we want, then fine. Take a poll of every person on the planet(even though we'll take their energy away from them, non-humans and the ecosystem won't be voting), and see where we are. If a majority of the 6.5 million+ people want to decrease poverty, then that's the road we'll go down. We just have to be honest with ourselves as we go.