Who Killed Economic Growth?

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Richard Heinberg propose a startling diagnosis: humanity has reached a fundamental turning point in its economic history. The expansionary trajectory of industrial civilization is colliding with non-negotiable natural limits.

"Why have mainstream economists ignored environmental limits for so long? If Heinberg is right, they will have much explaining to do." -- LESTER BROWN, Founder Earth Policy Institute

"Heinberg shows how peak oil, peak water, peak food, etc. lead not only to the end of growth, but to the beginning of a new era of progress without growth." -- HERMAN E. DALY, Professor Emeritus, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland

"By the time you finish Heinberg's book, you will have 2 conclusions: This is the end of economic growth and it is our problem, not our childrens'. It's time to get ready. This book is the place to start." --PAUL GILDING -- Former head of Greenpeace International

"Richard has rung the bell on the limits to growth. Our shift from quantity of consumption to quality of life is the great challenge of our generation. Frightening...but ultimately freeing." --JOHN FULLERTON - President and Founder, Capital Institute

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ANIMATION:

MUSIC:
Madvillain - All Caps Instrumental

TRANSLATIONS:

[RyanAo]

wow! great work y'all at PCI. I love that you ended with some solutions and especially that you mentioned community and togehterness. and love the big heart...love is the most important solution! hope to see you when Within Reach premieres in CA Richard!

[mikeskylark]

EXCELLENT REVELATION! THIS IS SO AHEAD OF TIME!

[vibrent]

Great video. I'm surprised there isn't a link to PCI in the description though. Ought to make it easy for people to get more info. Was really hoping for more solutions thinking. Maybe in the next one? Keep up the great work!

[lastPat]

Very interesting! Also, agree wholeheartedly we are in serious need of rethinking our consumerist profit-at-all-cost way of life. Thanks for sharing, will share it further. Pat

[postcarboninstitute]

@hughacland Thanks for the kind words and support as always, Hugh.

[postcarboninstitute]

@Bernadotte01 No, just tired -- exhausted, really, of trolls. Yes, our energy Fellows are quite well-versed in the origins of our energy sources and, would you believe, photosynthesis. Your comment offered nothing new, simply sniped at semantics (you know darned well how the term 'fossil fuels' is used in the common vernacular) in an effort to trumpet your knowledge. If people want to debate about economic theory, go for it... but enough with the trollish misdirects.

[postcarboninstitute]

@simplerlife Within Reach! Yes! Thanks for the love... Richard's book goes into greater detail about these responses, far more than quick animation is able.

[postcarboninstitute]

@Bobbystan1
Thanks for watching, caring, sharing. Appreciated.

[postcarboninstitute]

@Jacob22030 Jacob, yes Richard reads these. Thanks for your support! You'll note this video is intended as an introduction to his latest book, "The End of Growth" more info at endofgrowth . org

[ashermiller]

@superlucci Contrary to economic equations, energy is not easily replaceable. For one, energy is not just a commodity in the economy... it is the literal lubricant of the economy. When oil prices surpass a certain percentage of GDP, they have historically caused a drag on the economy. And oil is not easily replaceable as an energy source, either. Other liquid fuels are woefully inadequate in terms of volume, EROEI, etc.

[szatmar]

These are not just "problems" 2 solve. It's a law encoded in the universe. A human city is the fractal evolution of a bacterium colony not because humans are mindless bacteria but because there are fundamental laws governing resource utilization by a colony on all levels of existence. Our problems of survival are infinitely more complex yet our mental capacity of solving them are just as inadequate: it's basically the same problem: find new resources and expand your colony

[VascoElbrecht]

Limits to growth are so obvious, and stil the majority of people are in denial because of personal egoistic interests : (

[RocketSquirrel]

Texas and Pennsylvania have not "run dry", in fact, we are currently experiencing one of the biggest oil booms in our history (I live in oil country in Texas, but I don't work in the oil business). There are also massive oil reserves in California, New England, and ALL OVER the midwest. Most of them simply haven't been tapped yet, largely due to environmental regulations.

[somerando]

I'm not talking about wind and solar. I'm talking about fusion and fission. Both uranium and deuterium-tritium have literally thousands of times the energy density of fossil fuels. Lockheed martins experimental fusion reactor could power 150, 000 homes off a trailer. But even if that doesn't come to pass (though it looks like it will), fission is still a very real option. Obviously that comes with its own issues, but they are not insurmountable.

[szatmar]

@hitssquad 1st of all it's evident from my post that I think carbon based energy sources are limited for 2 reasons: there is not an infinite amount of carbon underground and there is a limit to how much CO2 we can put in the atmosphere. The whole thing about metals was a hypothetical. The reason they might not be limited has nothing to do with prices or proven/unproven reserves but with the simple fact that most of that stuff can be recycled. Planet Venus is a good ex to CO2 limits

[LionelChurch]

That was awesome. I just posted it to my facebook wall. This video will be viral in a matter of weeks.

[postcarboninstitute]

@A253Bridge Big thanks... means a lot to us. We CAN redefine our priorities overnight... and we don't even need legislation or marching to do it. We simply... do it.

Spread the word, yeah? Music by Madvillain aka MF Doom + Mad Lib.

[postgrowthinstitute]

Kudos to the Post Carbon Institute for (somehow!) managing to encapsulate these complex issues in a succinct five minute clip, and in an accessible, clear way. It's a useful resource for all working in this area, and has been posted/shared to Post Growth Institute, Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy and Growthbusters on Facebook (over 3, 000 people on Facebook alone); Google the names for the respective web sites.

[fleurtastic]

I think the main reason Economicgrowth in the past was fast was because people became more creative and we use our finite resources, which back then, was thought to be infinite.people started buying goods they do not need because they were cheap(thanks to industrialization).Planned Obsolescence became the fundamental reason that lead to a fast economic growth that we have all enjoyed in the past.Economicgrowth can never be sustained in the long run unless different tactics are used to achieve it.

[skibumwilly]

In “Occupying Chairlifts” a simple rule tweak on inheritance ends up changing the direction and purpose of modern human life! Here’s a fair way to transition forward to where we’re rewarded for cooperating and creating instead of competing and conquering.
It's something specific we can demand. If this isnt the best answer, at least we’re thinking about what might be. Are we really just this close to having it work right?
Oh yeah, it's a Ski movie! “Occupying Chairlifts” on Youtube!