Not read as snark at all. In fact your note came off as thoughtful and kind.

I didn't mean to imply that the world is coming to an end. I simply hadn't realized how coupled pollution (lead in this case) & economic progress have been. IIRC the rate of species extinction has been accelerating especially for sea life (too lazy to lookup citation). That's real, irreparable harm, at least to those species.

But that's backward looking. I'm optimistic that technology advancements will cap energy usage per person and still enable us to advance society.

And FWIW... my few hunter friends claim boars would dominate North America if humans weren't around. Surprisingly smart, powerful, and aggressive creatures.