Overheard some idiots at my work talking about “overpopulation”, and got me thinking about the subject. My default response to that dumb talking point is “we have enough food to feed everyone in the world and then some, it’s just the fucked up system of distribution (i.e. capitalism) that is to blame”, but I realised I’ve never actually seen any detailed information to back that up. I know that the USA throws away FIFTY PERCENT of its food, Australia throws away a third. But is that amount of food waste enough to feed the world?
It would be good to have some sources to refer people to when they make those shitty arguments.
And it's important to note current western levels of consumption reflect significant planned obsolescence and lack of repairable consumer goods, absolutely disasterous urban planning, a high level of intensively farmed goods, etc.
And the reason China pollutes so much is because all of the consumerist crap is made there and shipped to the West.
And they are a rapidly developing state as well - many western cities were blanketed in smog as late as the 70s, and recent policy changes (e.g. in recycling) demonstrate an aspiration for cleaner production.