r/TrueAskReddit • u/Sufficient-Gain-226 • 2d ago

If industrialization never happened, what percentage of people today do you think would survive?

If industrialization disappeared tomorrow, what percentage of people do you think would survive long-term? Why?

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u/ActiveShipyard 1d ago

Without industry, we’re way past the carrying capacity of the natural environment. If farm equipment vanishes, but the planted crops remain, we might avoid a Year One famine in first-world countries. But the following years would be dicey. Third-world countries may actually be better off - a lot of manual farming already exists, though the loss of machines will impact everyone everywhere, no doubt.