The real problem imo is that the rich and shameless and/or powerful are stuck in an exploitative 19th century mindset, while the real world has moved on. Have you read Jared Diamond’s masterful depiction in Collapse - How Societies Choose to Survive or Choose to Fail? I found that book mindblowing. Also Tim Flannery’s The Future Eaters, which I regard as essential reading for anyone living in Australia rn. Some of the science is dated, but imo still valid in essence. And both authors are right on the money when it comes to how humans react to social stressors.