Citation needed re: 500 million humans. I’ve never heard that. That said, there is a misanthropic angle to some environmental activism that needs to be called out and corrected.
They are on to something, but they draw the wrong conclusions.
We will soon have 8 billion humans on earth and perhaps 10-12 billion before we know it. Yes, indeed, this is hard on the environment.
The point is this: We need to come up with ways to make the world sustainable for all who inhabit it. That’s the only way to ensure everyone — or as many as possible — are able to live healthy, fulfilling lives.
Not addressing these problems in pursuit of short-term profit or savings is the surest way to ensure everyone suffers down the road.
This is the only world we’ll ever have. If we ever f**k it up so badly that we have to try to live in satellites or colonize Mars, most and perhaps all of us will die.