Politicians agree on one idea, that economic growth is the solution to all problems. As research biologists, we see this assertion as fundamentally wrongheaded. The world economy is like a biological system. Its growth is absolutely limited by resources. Continuous economic growth is physically impossible.
For the first time in history, humans have reached the carrying capacity of our planet. If the economy were to grow at a rate of 3 percent each year, a child born today is unlikely to see a world with sufficient food, water and energy to sustain our population. The economy would be 400 percent larger in 48 years and 800 percent larger in 72 years. The world as we know it cannot produce four to eight times more food, living space, usable water and energy without wreaking havoc on our planet. We must focus on sustainability. As we see so clearly in coastal California, more growth simply generates more problems.
Barry Bowman, Gary Silberstein
Research biologists
University of California, Santa Cruz
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