> Meaning they are used to living in the "Land of plenty" never thinking that one day, it could end.

This was my thought as well. The music is about to stop. Many don't realize it. Some don't believe it. Some actively deny it. But it's happening, and faster than we're ready for.

Many of us do realize it and are just sitting here staring at the screen at work realizing what a horrible mistake it all was, and hoping the fall won't as bad as the movies lead us to believe.

I am frequently reminded these days of a particular New Yorker cartoon [0].

We can still avert most of the predicted catastrophes, but we need to stop letting the people with the money just dictate policy to the rest of us to favor themselves.

[0] https://www.newyorker.com/cartoon/a16995

I am sitting here, thinking that it would be an easily solvable problem if people actually cared about the sustainability of their communities.

So much this. Our town is trying. They're trying to educate people about it. They are showing people how much water we're collectively consuming per day, how much lower the water table is than in previous years etc. And it seems that nobody cares. Water consumption numbers are actually going up and I see people running sprinklers. I'm hoping the town will actually soon switch from only allowing sprinklers during the night to disallowing sprinklers altogether and actually enforcing that.

I didn't realize how much water I was using until my bill went way up. Then I started running outside to read my water meter after various activities. Showering is the #1 usage of water: 80-100 gallons per shower!!! I had no idea. Literally, it never crossed my mind because water has always been so cheap.

Many are actively working to bring the disaster into the present! In the book Running Out the author interviews Kansas farmers who are explicitly managing the aquifer so that it runs out within their lifetimes. Not too soon, but not too far into the future, either.

What's the logic here - is it just agribusiness maximizing profit in the short-medium term with the expectation of writing it off and moving production elsewhere once the point of collapse arrives?

You can't just take the planet with you when you die hence you need to consume it in its entirety to minimize "waste" aka earth left for other humans.

“I got mine”

Juxtaposing this with the Flint water crisis -- which occurred in a place with abundant fresh water, albeit no wealthy cities next door -- is really something. They may be right, but this is not a bet I would be comfortable making.

Add in “I’m a nature lover! I’m not the bad guy because I want to live in nature (with air conditioning, easy car access and half hour showers)!”