The best we can do is make a carbon tax, and invest that money into renewable research and reversing co2 emissions.

At the end of the day we have a choice. Lower living standards, or fewer people.

Nonsense. Human beings have been able to sustain the ever-growing population for thousands of years in billions, even. We're currently sustaining seven billion - who's to say we won't progress to nine? ten? twelve? Surely, the amount of resources necessary is going to grow, and fast, but so far, we've been able to survive and not completely destroy our planent in the process - which is both good and bad. I'm sure you can piece together why is it good.

It's bad because, well, we are destroying our planet slowly. Not just changing it to fit us a bit better - no, we're sucking it dry where we can, and we're leaving what we can't repurpose - which happens to be stuff that's terrible for the environement - to rot and decay, which won't even happen soon - all the while the technologies not just to start the recycling but to sustain it in the long run are already there. It's a shame that the reason we aren't using it is because it's not profitable enough. Aren't we just splendid.

So here's your motivation to do better: unless we do, we're going to either starve, die of sickness or drown, and we, as a sentient species, are going to suck all the way through our impending death unless we do something not from our greed and ego but from our heart and our sincere intent to do better. If we don't and if by that time we aren't capable of travelling to Mars and sustain living there, we're done, and it's going to be all humanity's fault - yes, even mine and yours.