I think everyone makes really great points in this . I believe the issue is a symptom rather than a cause though . There are too many humans . We don ' t have to eat meat , but we do . That being said , as much as we think ourselves above nature , that in and of itself might be our biggest delusion . We fall victim to our primal vices every single day . Our issue is simply that we are becoming TOO good at getting what we want but we are clearly not advanced enough as a lifeform to realize how important it is for us especially to priortize what we NEED not want . This importance comes from the fact that we can no longer afford to live selfishly since our impact alone can change the very world itself . We as humans are very good at justifying these primal urges as we get older though so either way you cut it , we as a species will always seek the benefit of the short term before the long term . Humans will have truly comprehended our relationship with this world when we embrace the idea of the elder planting a tree of which the shade it bears is one he shall never enjoy . Alas we don ' t think like this . We are intelligent yes , but it is becoming abundantly clear that with all our intelligence , we can ' t combat the very essence of what we are as a life form . It ' s almost comedic how no matter what we do to try and prove it otherwise , nature will inevitably bring us to our knees .