I kinda went on a little research spree on economics this afternoon but at one point I figured it’s probably good to know if it’s possible for, say, at least 98% of people on earth to live a happy fulfilled life at all.
I know there’s plenty of people who’d be more than happy to have literally nothing more than a house, food and water, but that still leaves a whole lot of people who want other things in life.
Do we have any metrics or data on wether the earth can sustain roughly 8 billion humans?
We can definitely support the current population sustainably. The issue has never been resource shortage, it’s resource distribution.
Well, the main issue is profits, and equitable distribution of resources isn’t profitable.
Respectfully, no we can’t. Not even close. Take away the fossil fuels and put civilization on renewables and biomass and see how many people you can support.
Incorrect. The issue is about sustainability - meaning you have to halt pollution, climate change emissions, resource consumption and land and water use and protect biodiversity to what can be renewed by natural processes indefinitely.
Take away fossil fuels and pesticides and herbicides and watch agricultural yields and yield density drop significantly. Are you pumping groundwater faster than it’s being replenished? That too must end. How are you distributing this food to 10B sustainably? Ending soil erosion means permaculture where mechanization virtually ends. You also have to give back vast swaths of former farmland back to nature to protect biodiversity.
Your take is well meaning, but impossibly naive.