The world is caught in a catch-22, the consequences of which could be disastrous to life on Earth. Despite all the seemingly wonderful things we've gained since the advent of capitalism and the Industrial Revolution, we've been stuck in a loop of waste and destruction for quite some time now, and as long as the law of supply and demand continues to be very lightly regulated, the loop will continue. This is primarily because energy prices have been low enough that
consumption continues to climb, reducing total resources significantly (only so much and
only certain things can be recycled). The problem lies in the fact that the less we consume, the lower prices will go; and the lower prices go, the more we consume. A rate of consumption significantly less than the current level is required
for life to be sustained on Earth for several centuries or millenia at current technology. So maybe the big question is, is there a technological solution to dwindling resources and climate change? And can this solution allow Earth to
support a human population greater than six billion?