specifically ~500 fewer people

specifically the ~500 richest people in the world

otherwise no i’m not concerned about overpopulation

No one accidentally becomes a billionaire. No one accidentally becomes one of the .01%. That sort of wealth doesn’t accumulate because you had a really good idea, or were really smart, or worked really hard. You know who becomes billionaires?

Capitalists who hoard profits 

Capitalists who evade taxes

Capitalists who underpay and abuse their workers

Capitalists who use money to buy political influence

and in turn use that to buy tax cuts, and lax regulations

Capitalists who value profit margins above consumer & societal well being. Capitalists who endanger their customers and their workers.

Capitalists who fight against unions and employee healthcare, 

Capitalists who become successful, who accumulate millions, and then consciously choose to use that wealth to pursue profit on a whole new, exponentially higher scale, at the cost of the societies in which they exist.

No one accidentally becomes a billionaire. And no one becomes a billionaire without choosing to do harm. 

I’m as concerned about the planet as anyone should be but misinformation like this is misleading and dangerous, not to mention disrespectful in the current climate. it will regrettably take years for the planet to heal itself of the damage done to it in the name of human greed – it will not miraculously heal in a couple of weeks.

the canals of Venice are clearer not because of less pollution but because of less boat traffic stirring up sediment and dirt already in the water. it’s all sunk to the bottom and settled, resulting in apparently clearer water. the fish were always there. the dolphins are coming closer because lack of boat traffic means they can go hunt the fish easier.

any wild animals coming into the city are likely curious or looking for interesting food. they’re not ‘reclaiming’ anything; anyone who’s been up late at night and looked out their window would see similar things with nocturnal creatures. it’s just the daylight ones are now doing it, too.

while pollution has gone down in China thanks to lack of traffic and factory production, regrettably this will do nothing in regards to the multitude of other countries belching out pollution into the air. even if it did, the earth will sadly not heal from decades of abuse in a couple of weeks.