The limits to economic growth that no one wants to talk about - Yorkshire Post Letters
January 29, we have been officially informed that in the pursuit of its policy for economic growth, and in the face of almost universal environmental opposition, the government is to support a third runway for Heathrow airport.
By-passing the pros and cons for the runway, I would like to pose two simple questions to those who advocate economic growth as the single possible way forward for our nation.
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Hide AdThe first is, ‘Do you accept or reject the findings of the report entitled 'Limits to Growth' which was presented over 50 years ago to the Club of Rome, and which has been updated, reprinted and fully endorsed on at least two occasions since the 1970s?’


And the second is, ‘Humanity is rapidly approaching 10 billion people divided between about 200 different sovereign states. Given that the notion that growth can be unlimited either by time or by Earthly resources is obvious practical and mathematical nonsense, for just how long do you believe that we can all pursue growth as an immediate solution to our problems?’
This is a question I have been posing for some time, and have yet to receive a sensible answer. Responders often refer to something they call ‘sustainable growth’, which is simply an oxymoron.
Growth means getting bigger; consuming more resources and more energy, and I want to know for how long the planet will tolerate that. One thing is for certain, we can never negotiate with the planet.
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