The inflation rate has just about always been positive (besides a few rare years in the 1920s and 1930s). Holding dollars has always lost you buying power. Its just that in recent years, the rate of inflation has been enough for more people to notice.
This reminds me of something that's often missed. If you think of the destruction and resource accumulation in terms of energy transfer, we don't accumulate the equivalent of what we destroy. Instead we let a star's energy do the destruction while we accumulate a tiny fraction alongside that.
Differently put, it's like profiting off the energy in the act of changing the temperature of the room's thermostat, not from the energy the heating system will dump in the room as a result of this change.
I think this is one reason why the profits made off climate destruction cannot cover the repair cost.
The smart ones will have their sons and daughters intermarry into the families of the guards. Whether or not their pride will allow them to actually do that is another thing. That and there is a chance the guards will probably just takeover anyways. That or a well armed raiding group will take em out.
Arguably, the meme doesn't say he admits it's his fault. All he says is the planet got destroyed and using passive voice is a trick to disguise the actor. It is often used that way
