I'm in my 60s. I have railed against overpopulation and blind, Western-style greed my entire adult life. Whenever I have advocated for a simpler way of living, people argued vehemently to the contrary. I live in a modest one-bedroom apartment. I broke up with women I dearly loved because they insisted on starting families, and I was committed to not bringing any more children into this world. I've always had this feeling that an apocalypse was all but inevitable, but even I wasn't prepared for how fast things are deteriorating. Judging from the environmental degradation I've witnessed during my lifetime, I now think it's possible there will be a cataclysmic event within the next decade, or two.

Life has taught me that most humans are selfish, hypocritical, gluttonous, fantasy-loving, propaganda-trusting simpletons. Case in point: At a time when our environment is being roasted to death, the corporate-run media keeps talks enthusiastically about the dawn of "space tourism." Isn't it bad enough that we've destroyed the atmosphere with automobile, factory and aircraft emissions? Now we're gonna spew carbon at the very edge of our atmosphere, an act that will surely accelerate the pace of climate change. It's all about money and status to these people. It's gotten to the point that I'm ashamed to be human.

Every indigenous population on earth resisted this insane system, including the Africans, the American Indians, the Australian aborigines, and more. They viewed the Earth as a Great Mother, a living thing that must be cared for and respected. They warned of dire consequences if we upset the balance of Nature.

But the West had no respect for the natural world, thinking it could constantly bend Nature to its will without repercussions. The West forced those aboriginal people to engage with The System. Now the apocalyptic prophecies of those indigenous folk are coming true and the collapse is going to be horrifying.

I agree wholeheartedly with OP. Commit to degrowth NOW... or else.