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, rather than pursuing relentless growth. Capitalism as practiced today relies on the boundless expansion of economies, measured annually by changes in a country’s gross domestic product, or GDP, over time. But across history, that drive to create well-being by manufacturing more goods and services has consumed vast amounts of Earth’s resources and energy. But what if those resources begin to run out? Or, more pressingly, what happens when resource extraction and making all that energy threatens the ecosystems at the very foundation of life on Earth? A copper mine in Chile. Understanding the limits of resources and the planet to support human life led researchers to look through the lens of the planetary boundaries to understand alternative ways to ensure that both humans and the environment persist and thrive. Image by Bruna Fiscuk via Unsplash (Public domain). Addressing the limits to growth For more than 50 years, researchers have wrestled with these thorny questions and searched for alternative economic approaches to ensure human well-being and survival. That quest was triggered mainly by a seminal book titled The Limits to Growth. Published in 1972, it posited that Earth’s resources are finite, with the authors also attempting…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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