Beyond its impossible assumptions, this blog post makes a fair point that it is physically impossible for humans to continue our population growth alongside our energy consumption. We need to curb or at least restrict one or both of these. In my opinion, population growth is going to be a huge problem in coming decades. Given that we already struggle to provide clean water to so many people on the planet, it seems that we should be placing limits on reproduction already, until we have some basic systems in place to guarantee necessities to all people.
In particular, population growth presents a problem in the fashion industry that is only compounded by the recent rise of fast fashion. While it is impossible for a garment to be indestructible, the quality and durability of garments has drastically delined in recent years. Additionally, research has shown that the average American consumer now has approximately three times as much clothing by volume as we did only a few decades ago. Given the affordability of retailers like H&M, Zara, and Forever 21, consumers also do not have any problems with getting rid of their clothing at a much faster rate than they did years ago. While it is obvious that not everyone can afford high fashion, it is clear that we need to start supporting clothing that will last, both in terms of style and durability. Without this change, we will continue to waste more energy, and clean water on unnecessary production. This increased waste would be compounded by the needs of an increasing population, thereby causing severe issues of energy and resource waste.
