Are We Approaching The Limits To Growth?

This article summarizes some the arguments against the assumption that global economic growth can be sustained at high levels.  It argues that economic growth over the last 30 years has been based upon unsustainable levels of private and public debt.  It also touches upon the limits to growth via population growth, which is high in poor countries and low in richer countries, and through rising productivity.  It also touches on the problems or resource scarcity.  It even raises the argument that Malthus made about the inability of food production to keep up with population growth. 

Environmentalists have been arguing for a policy of zero economic growth in order to save our planet. Its unlikely that politicians will attempt to sell that idea to the public.  It is more likely that it will be imposed upon us by nature and by other factors that we are unable to control.  Unplanned reductions in economic growth may be worse than more thoughtful approaches to limitations on growth.