[dredmorbius]

We weren't generally aware of many of the specific problems at the time. Though, it turns out: a huge number of the bigger problems were actively opposed by presentation of disinformation, from the use of lead in paint and gasoline, to the hazards of cigarettes and tobacco, asbestos, air pollution, CFCs, and now CO2 and global warming. Often with the same tactics and even individuals involved in different battles.

The bigger problem is that humans, as with all life, exists to exploit entropic gradients. Some of these are huge (e.g., the energy densities of hydrocarbons and fissible nuclear fuels), some are much more subtle, including the disruptions caused by introductions of modest amounts of novel contaminants into the environment. It's both our entropic sources and sinks which can be overwhelmed.

And economic growth which comes at a cost of the future to all isn't growth. It's a Ponzi scheme.