There have been several debates here on Gristmill lately about capitalism, consumerism, communalism, corporatism, and, you know ... The System. It's worth remembering some crucial context.
Somewhere in the early 1800s, the number of human beings on earth reached a billion. In the 1920s, it reached two billion. In 1960, three billion. Four billion in 1974. Five billion in 1987. Six billion in 1999.
By around 2045, there will be nine billion people on the planet.