I still feel that you are ignoring the elephant in the room. Every step forward in human well-being has led to an increase in population with a commensurate increase in demand for resources. The exponential growth in population that has taken place in my lifetime (I'm 83, the world population has increased fourfold in that time) is as much due to the improvements in health care and illness prevention as to increases in the birth rate. It's another manifestation of the Jevons anomaly. Make it possible for more people to live longer and they will consume more resources.

I don't disagree with the basic premise of your article. Those of us who can, consume far too much of the wrong things. We are in the middle of an election campaign in Ireland and I keep hearing people seeking support for 'the hospitality industry'. Pubs. cafe's and restaurants are things we can all do without. So is the 'night time economy' that similarly is seen as an important element of the overall economy.

The four day week could be mandated for people who live more than a specified distance from their work place unless they use public transport.

Time to stop, I'm rambling here.