Wow that's a lot to think about, excellent write up. You are absolutely right about shared resources like air and water. It's not something I had given much thought about until last summer when we got engulfed in severe smoke advisories for most of the summer because of wildfires. It's a basic resource that many of us take for granted.

With all of the manufacturing moving over to Asia has unbalanced the delicate resources. Part of it, yes, lack of regulations but many here in the west view it as if it's not in their backyard, they are not responsible even tho they are the buyers that it is created for. I'm not suggesting we return to caveman times but if people in the west considered the human cost along with the financial cost, they might rethink some consumer habits. I'm not perfect but I always analyze my consumer habits and trim the fat a little at a time. A global effort would go a long way into reducing our footprint by eliminating a few unnecessary things. In turn, that would improve the quality of life for many across the world.