But...

Even if the raw materials were available, remember who we're dealing with: humans. You know what corruption can be like in conditions of extreme poverty - remember the stories of food aid rotting in Ethiopian warehouses instead of getting to the Eritreans? Imagine trying to distribute goods to the common people of a place more densely populated than Calcutta, ruled by Somali-type warlords...

For that matter, a quick trip to the NYC of Soylent Green may suffice - and don't forget the real story underneath the plotline: the death of Earth's oceans.

Off-planet emigration may save H. sapiens as a species, by the simple principle of 'eggs in more than one basket'. Meanwhile, it will take a lot more than example to overcome centuries of ignorance, and a double handful of political miracles to counteract the power gluttons, before the population of this planet can regulate itself.

Fox (that damn blanket's still wet... sorry)