"Anyone who thinks that you can have infinite growth in a finite environment is either a madman or an economist." -- David Attenborough.
Economists are concerned with growth. They want to know how much the economy is growing. If the economy slows down significantly, we call it a recession. Presumably the more the economy grows each year, the better. But the earth has finite resources, and can't grow indefinitely. So, what's going to happen to the economy when the earth runs out of resources? How is it possible to have more growth? Aren't we destined for a great depression that we can't recover from? Perhaps we need to reconsider our notions that a growth hungry economy is necessary, and accept the possibility of a steady state economy.
Do you believe in the crazy idea that we can have infinite growth on a finite planet? — Purple Pond
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