Our problem is cultural. Our culture is governed by elites who reject the special place of humanity. They view humanity as the cause of all the planet's ills. Their standard answer is to reduce the number of people who live and force those who do live to enjoy a lower standard of living. (Of course, these elites, being the self-assessed intellectual and moral superiors of all humanity, are self-entitled to a high standard of living, reproduction at will, and power and control over the masses.)