On 24 November 2014 at 21:07, Michael wrote: > To respond to jore and common sense, of course growth is finite, but > remember that in addition to growth through expansion, there is growth > through efficiencies (productivity). >
It's not even obvious that that growth is finite. Economic growth is the increase in the market value of the goods and services produced by an economy over time. Some forms of growth are environmentally destructive and unsustainable and give growth a bad name. However, there are plenty of forms of growth that go the other way. Puting in a solar systems, insulating your house, improving medical services and the education system likely contribute to growth but are environmentally positive (and generally life enhancing.) It is not obvious to me where this kind of improvement would end. The extreme version of this idea, that the modern industrial world has to stop and we need to revert to some imaginary preindustrial pastoral existence is even more whacky. If you really wanted to trash the planet, kill a lot of people and upset everyone else that would be a good way to do it. Jim _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
