Modernity is incompatible with planetary limits: Developing a PLAN for the future
Today's summary is about a paper written in 2021 by T.W. Murphy Jr., D.J. Murphy, T.F. Love, M.L.A. LeHew, & B.J. McCall .
- The crux of the paper: Exponential growth, whether of physical or economic form, will eventually cease. Non-renewable materials cannot be harvested indefinitely on a finite planet.
- Decisions are dominated by short-term financial considerations that do not reflect biophysical realities or prioritize long- term sustainability.
- Individuals and corporations do things because they can right now, without asking if they should, or what negative impacts may result decades hence.
- In practice, efficiency gains are largely erased by further growth.
- Fossil fuel combustion is the primary cause of ongoing global climate change.
- The ability of Earth’s ecosystems to assimilate pollution without consequences is finite.