Bebbe777 wrote...
"The homeworld and capital of humanity is entering a new golden age. The resource wealth of a dozen settled colonies and a hundred industrial outposts flows back to Earth, fueling great works of industry, commerce, and art. The great cities are greening as arcology skyscrapers and telecommuting allow more efficient use of land.
Earth is still divided among nation-states, though all are affiliated beneath the overarching banner of the Systems Alliance. While every human enjoys longer and better life then ever, the gap between rich and poor widens daily. Advanced nations have eliminated most genetic disease and pollution. Less fortunate regions have not progressed beyond 20th century technology, and are often smog-choked, overpopulated slums.
Sea levels have risen two meters in the last 200 years, and violent weather is common due to environmental damage inflicted during the late 21st century. The past few decades, however, have seen significant improvement due to recent technological advances."
See, here's the thing. The positive language is all ongoing and as if it is
just beginning. "Is entering", "are greening", "enjoys". Neither is it categorical: "eliminated
most genetic disease and pollution", "significant improvement". The
other half of the codex reveals a grittier truth that is ongoing and unlikely to categorically end soon: "still divided", "the gap...widens daily", "have not progressed beyond 20th Century...", "are often smog-choked, overpopulated slums". That's by no means a pretty picture, nor is what we see of pre-Reaper London in ME3 likely to be a representative picture of 22nd Century human life in the Mass Effect universe, considering we can
very safely assume it to be among the most highly-developed and technologically-advanced cities.
What that codex entry paints is a picture of a minority of people who are
very well-off, and a majority of people who while in the strictest-possible language better off are still pretty screwed over. Keep in mind that in reality, as in today, in the non-fiction Earth world, for nearly a quarter of the world's population "longer and better life than ever" would entail having clean drinking water and eating daily. Forget stuff like adequate, competent medical care, shelter, political enfranchisement, and basic utilities. Considering this is a work of science fiction, and the world we live in is the baseline and frame of reference for relatively subjective statements such as the codex entry's, the Mass Effect universe's Earth can still be safely assumed to be a rather crappy place to live for most of its inhabitants, despite being marginally
less crappy than the non-fiction Earth.