Well, over population is however still a reality particularly on those places where food is scarce population and reproduction will, however not and once oil production decreases and food prices multiply the idea of "we can feed everyone on this planet" becomes absurd. Yes we can feed everyone on this planet, but nobody is gonna send free food to starving people when rich people pay 40$ for a lump of bread.
And the Venus project has so far produced a lot of hot air and 0 results. Its nothing but a markting gag, and time be better spend to build things, instead of fantasize about them (like where are the city domes with self-sufficient biospheres in each building and regenerative heat and water cycles?)
As I said, the idea behind the project is great, so bashing it since it has done nothing physical is kind of bad thing to do imo. More then anything it can give inspiration. And lets face it, the current politicians sure do not inspire anything at all. In addition, how do you expect a 1 (or 2) man project (as it has been for a while) to build cities? He is afaik trying to gather support now, to try and get the idea seeded. Did you really expect him to build entire cities alone?
. Rome was not built in one day, and if the builders gave up on day one when the ideas was initiated, well, there would be nothing
. Such huge changes do not come fast and quick, but they must start somewhere, and such beginning often just start with one man and one dream. It might not be the Venus Project that is the future, but I do surly hope something similar is coming sooner rather the later. It do not even need to have all the things the project dreams about. To start; simple concrete and and basic food will be a blessing for the third world.
Our current system is the thing that is stopping us form achieving a better future for all of us. The socio economic system we have is garbage really. We need the will of the people and capable leadership. One need only take a brief look at it as is, and we see entire countries and continents being poor and basically slave labor for the more rich ones. This is a problem I think, one we need to sort out. We need to break down the artificial barrier of "race", religion and nations and such eventually. We need to stop seeing others as "them", and rather see any other human as one of us. We are after all the same.
If you give up on your dreams, however far fetch they are, you give up on yourself. I rather try and work towards a goal I find worthy then just "accept what is". i fully acknowledge what is, ofc, and I hold a job, pay bills and all that jazz since I have to. But why should that stop me for wanting a better future, from wanting change?
To that end I see over population as just a technical problem that we can solve (so I see reducing population as treating a symptom, not the root cause). But there is lack of will. And as you pointed out, our economy is rather disruptive to real progress on a humanitarian level, its great at finding things that will make you more money, but fairly little else. So why not disapprove of it?
So yeah, I might be a "dreamer", I might hold ideas that are not common (yet). But I sure as hell will not give up on them just because there has not been any real things built and done yet.
(not that I think that is what you really meant)