Malthus was absolutely right in principle. The timing was off because he couldn't foresee the temporary reprieve of fossil fuels and industrial agriculture, but the fundamental logic is iron-clad: exponential growth meets finite resources, and mathematics always wins in the end. The world is big and there's plenty of room deniers claim. How many realise we're only able to live on approx 4% of the planet?
Why most people can't see it yet:
- We're still living off the wealth created by the fossil fuel bonanza
- The worst effects are still mostly "somewhere else" - climate refugees, resource wars in distant countries
- Human psychology is terrible at processing gradual, long-term threats
- Our entire economic and political system depends on the continuous growth myth
But the signs are mounting:
- Housing unaffordable for entire generations
- Climate breakdown accelerating
- Mass migrations increasing
- Authoritarian responses spreading
- Resource competition intensifying
The harsh lessons are coming whether we're ready to learn them or not. Reality doesn't care about our comfort level with uncomfortable truths.
