Acharya Prashant explains that the current trajectory of human consumption and population growth is unsustainable for the Earth. He argues that mankind will be forced to reduce its population because even eight billion people is far too many, especially when everyone aspires to the high per capita consumption levels of developed nations. He critiques the standard measurement of national development, which is currently indexed by production and consumption, noting that this includes the alarming rate at which humans are producing more children. He asserts that the fundamental reason for crises like COVID-19 is the expansion of the human population into natural habitats, forcing contact with new viruses as jungles are cleared for land.