For more than a century, nations have measured societal gains in terms of economic growth. But a new review published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health in January 2025 questions that convention. It concludes that humanity would benefit more if it aims for ecological sustainability and stays within the limits of what Earth can provide, […]
  • New research concludes that humanity would benefit more if it aims for ecological sustainability and stays within the limits of what Earth can provide, rather than pursuing relentless growth.
  • The success of capitalism depends on the push for growth, which requires the use of resources and energy, and comes at the cost of ecological damage.
  • Economists have proposed alternatives that focus on staying within a set of planetary boundaries that define the safe operating space for humanity.
  • The review, published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, draws on more than 200 resources from the scientific literature.
  • PostiveNoise@kbin.melroy.org
    2·
    10 days ago

    It’s more about the potential for population growth without needing to leave the solar system or develop FTL space drives or anything super fancy.

    These days, people tend to have less children once there is good education and health care. But if things get better and no one needs to have a job, maybe people will return to having more children per person, so it’s hard to say how many people there would actually be in the 2300…lots of change will be happening in the meantime.