...or a global plague... something similar to the black plague, or some of the really bad flu epidemics... without the risks from infectious disease, humans are pretty much un-checked.

I'm not suggesting that we actually engineer such a solution, but the fact is there are too many people on the planet, and the population is only growing... Eventually the real perceived value of life will decrease, and more militant solutions will start presenting themselves.

It's not popular, and my only hope is I don't live to see things get really worse.

Desalinization really should be something under much heavier research than it currently is. As should farming with less water usage, as well as cross-country water pipelines.