First of all; sorry to read about your friend's dad.

You really are an optimist, indeed. "Now we need to figure out how to reduce our carbon footprint, love our neighbors, and prepare for more and more people on this planet." -> I guess eradicating polio is much easier than any of those points. ;-)

I guess it would also be a good idea to start by putting less people in this world. More people always means more trouble...