tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3068581294933271215.post4782334498260695117..comments2011-01-08T01:05:44.064-05:00Comments on Web Echoes: Population Growth, 35 years of thoughtMatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935443440111169497noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3068581294933271215.post-68374951097914765292007-12-21T08:50:00.000-05:002007-12-21T08:50:00.000-05:00If only we could just wait for technology to save ...If only we could just wait for technology to save us. I'm sure the memory altering device is just a few years away.<BR/><BR/>I agree that economic growth isn't the holy grail we all think it is. Part of the brainwashing is that we'll live better lives if the nation has a better GDP. The real problem is that the perception is that economies can grow indefinitely, but what if it were the case that there is an upper limit to the size of the world economy and what if the growth the worlds rich nations is acting as a prevention on growth of undeveloped nations. Extraction of resources in undeveloped/developing nations to fuel the economies of developed is certainly one of those.<BR/><BR/>Standard of living is linked to GDP growth too, so developing nations are aspiring to grow their economies to raise the standard of their populations living. Unfortunately, their target appears to be rich world lifestyles.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935443440111169497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3068581294933271215.post-62054523190947631692007-12-21T00:12:00.000-05:002007-12-21T00:12:00.000-05:00I expect the phrase "economic growth" is uttered t...I expect the phrase "economic growth" is uttered tens of thousands of times every day. I hear it on newscasts a dozen times a day. Candidates promise it. It appears every day in print and on the web. Just this morning the U.S. President stated that we cannot limit greenhouse gas emissions if such efforts would hamper economic growth. Economic growth is always presented as good news, while a slowdown is characterized as gloomy. We have brainwashed ourselves into believing economic growth is the Holy Grail.<BR/><BR/>The doubt being cast about whether this is a proper goal or appropriate measure of happiness is spot on. We simply must discard the metrics of economic growth as soon as we can. How do we do this? I've been looking into this for the documentary I'm producing, and so far I think our best, and possibly only, hope might be to flash one of those pens that Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith used in Men in Black - erasing the memory of those being flashed.<BR/><BR/>Dave Gardner<BR/>Producer/Director<BR/>Hooked on Growth: Our Misguided Quest for Prosperity<BR/>www.growthbusters.comDave Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391587126108658103noreply@blogger.com