3 ms·
Unless we find a way to 'produce' (the P in GDP) without increasing entropy by digging up stuff (oil, metals, whatever) and then releasing them into our ecosyst
by ArnoVW 4y ago
Unless we find a way to 'produce' (the P in GDP) without increasing entropy by digging up stuff (oil, metals, whatever) and then releasing them into our ecosystem once we're done with them, those limits seem to be pretty close though.
That's not just me thinking that. That's the Club of Rome, in the 70's.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth
Their conclusion at the time:
"the most probable result will be a rather sudden and uncontrollable decline in both population and industrial capacity"
- baq 4y agoAnd the most sobering thing - we’re still on track for the base case…
- pfortuny 4y agoAs long as the Sun shines on (and this is essenty “for ever”), there is an increasing accumulation of energy in the planet: that is where the possibility of exponential “growth” comes.
- pl-94 4y agoYour point is invalid because it would require an exponential growth of the sun power (the derivative of an exponential is an exponential). While the sun power is exponential around a billion years, it is a constant over a year. So you would reach at most a linear GDP growth.
- Valakas_ 4y agoNot so fast. Entropy is decreasing. There might be more energy, but useless energy. Energy low enough, spread out enough or with too little temperature differential that you can't do much or anything with it. The Earth is getting solar energy sure. But it also emits energy. And a lot of what stays here is just useless heat.
- afpx 4y agoA lot of the production and growth in production is in services. The global economy adds 50M+ new middle class incomes each year.