I hate to say it, but there is no solution to this problem
I've spent waaayy too much time on it too. It's hopeless and pointless. I've said it before: it doesn't matter if we're talking about shortages of food, clothes, money, or energy, a shortage of anything is basically the definition of POVERTY. Someday soon western society will descend into a pit of impoverished misery, similar to what exists in any third-world country. People will be putting up tent shantytowns on their employer's parking lots.