[KerrAvon]

You want to provide a reason based in reality for that level of optimism at the present time? It seems like pessimism is currently warranted absent major upheavals that would change the political situation worldwide, which would bring their own issues.

[krona]

2.5%[0] of the world GDP just doesn't sound very apocalyptic to most people. Especially when you factor in GDP growth projections over the next century.

[0] https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/spm/

[thoms_a]

Life on Earth has survived much, much worse than the burning of fossil fuels. For example, the K-Pg extinction event.

It's all a matter of perspective. But humans are irrationally social creatures susceptible to memetics, so no amount of empirical evidence will alter socially beneficial memeplexes.