How overpopulated is the planet, really?

[GliderGuider]

28. I'm not trying to present this as some kind of "population target".

It's just part the pedagogical attempt to frame what we're doing in terms of the ecosphere's tolerance.

What do we do?

I've been saying for a couple of years now that we will each do whatever we think is appropriate to the circumstances, in whatever part of "the world" we can reach. The outcome is utterly unforeseeable, because it depends on how the efforts of all 7 billion of us converge, co-operate and compete. and it will be different from place to place - climate change impacts will vary, resources vary, social structures vary, values and belief systems are different all over the world.

The best we can do is to do our best:

Stay awake to what's happening around us.
Don't get hung up by other peoples' shoulds and shouldn'ts.
Examine our values, and if they aren't in alignment with we think the world needs, change them.
Stop blaming people. They are as much victims of the times as we are - even the CEOs and politicians.
Blame, anger and outrage wastes precious energy that we are going to need for more useful work.
Laugh a lot, at everything - including ourselves.
Hold all the world's various beliefs and "isms" lightly, including our own.
Forgive others. Forgive ourselves. For everything.

That's what I think we could do that would be helpful. If we get all that personal stuff right, then doing the physical stuff about food housing, transportation, energy, politics etc. will come easy. Or at least easier. And we will have a lot more fun doing it.