3 ms·

Growth is based on productivity gains. Productivity gains only come marginally from optimization. Most productivity gains are from bigger machines (that eat mo

by orwin 6y ago

Growth is based on productivity gains. Productivity gains only come marginally from optimization. Most productivity gains are from bigger machines (that eat more energy than smaller ones). 80% of our energy is from carbon, we have to cut 4% of this every year starting last year to have a chance to barely stay below 2C. This mean cutting what's feeding our machines by ~3% per year. So productivity losses. By cutting less productive sectors first we might manage that without entering recession for a few year, but even with that, thousands of people will be left over.

seanwilson 6y ago
> Growth is based on productivity gains. > without entering recession for a few year Isn't the problem we can't keep growing when there's only finite resources? We need to change our definition of what it means for the country/world to be improving.
- rakoo 6y ago
  Exactly, on a finite planet you can't grow indefinitely. In fact, you can't even have a constant, non-zero consumption of goods forever if said goods don't renew.
  - candiodari 6y ago
    In any universe where the second law of thermodynamics holds sway you can't have a society continue indefinitely at all. Of course, you can in our universe for an estimated 1e38 years. The point being that if there is a big enough supply of something that doesn't renew to last until the next breakthrough there is no problem. Never in the history of the human race has this failed. Will oil last until we get fusion figured out? It seems to me pretty likely that's a yes.
    - rakoo 6y ago
      Oil is strongly correlated to growth, which means with volumes of oil going down, the only direction our economy is going to take is also down: we're in for a recession and it's not going to stop soon. Now we can survive in a recession, but we (as a species) have never done it before on long durations, so it's going to be quite a challenge. Considering that commercial fusion is nowhere near us for the next ~100 years, we're in for a very bad time.

by orwin 6y ago

seanwilson 6y ago

> Growth is based on productivity gains. > without entering recession for a few year Isn't the problem we can't keep growing when there's only finite resources? We need to change our definition of what it means for the country/world to be improving.

rakoo 6y ago
Exactly, on a finite planet you can't grow indefinitely. In fact, you can't even have a constant, non-zero consumption of goods forever if said goods don't renew.
- candiodari 6y ago
  In any universe where the second law of thermodynamics holds sway you can't have a society continue indefinitely at all. Of course, you can in our universe for an estimated 1e38 years. The point being that if there is a big enough supply of something that doesn't renew to last until the next breakthrough there is no problem. Never in the history of the human race has this failed. Will oil last until we get fusion figured out? It seems to me pretty likely that's a yes.
  - rakoo 6y ago
    Oil is strongly correlated to growth, which means with volumes of oil going down, the only direction our economy is going to take is also down: we're in for a recession and it's not going to stop soon. Now we can survive in a recession, but we (as a species) have never done it before on long durations, so it's going to be quite a challenge. Considering that commercial fusion is nowhere near us for the next ~100 years, we're in for a very bad time.