A Climate (and environmental) solution

It is increasingly clear that humans are having massive and devastating impact on our environment.
This includes (but is not limited to) climate change.
This damage seems to be to the extent that the world will become increasingly hostile to human living, and may reduce the carrying capacity of the earth.
Part of the problem is levels of consumption, especially in wealthier countries.
Part of the problem is an expanding population, which aspires to live at levels closer to those in wealthier countries.

It has become increasing clear that the people in wealthier countries are extremely unlikely to give up the power and comfort involved in their levels of consumption, even if it means hurtling headlong into a situation where the environment becomes exceedingly hostile.

In all likelihood, it will be the poorest who are affected the most by climate change and other environmental degradation.

So it is with a heavy heart that I propose a solution hinted at by the Dead Kennedys in 1980, the year of my birth

Of course, nuclear weapons cause their own problems, but a simpler solution could be found. Perhaps if a particularly destructive virus could be released, and then the vaccine sold at a high enough price that only the wealthy could afford it. This would have the added bonus of removing some money from the economy (hence lowering consumption) which could then be put into adaptation programs for survivors.

I know there will be some moral recoil to this proposal, but it must be remembered that killing the poor is what we are going to do anyway. This will simply speed things up a bit, and those who remain will hopefully be left with a far more habitable world. Life would not necessarily be easy for those who remain (who would make our shoes??), but the wealthy are obviously going to be far more adaptable anyway.