Economic growth and planetary biophysical limits

Discussions regarding the sustainability of economic growth highlight a fundamental contradiction between capitalist models requiring permanent expansion and the finite nature of planetary resources. While traditional views equate growth in manufacturing and consumption with progress, this model often overlooks the physical requirements for minerals, energy, soil, and water.

Data indicates that global natural resource extraction has tripled over the last fifty years, with projections suggesting a further 60% increase between 2020 and 2060 if current trends continue. High-income nations are noted to consume approximately six times more materials per person than poorer nations, leading to disproportionate climate impacts.

In response to these pressures, degrowth theory has been proposed to address the tension between societal habits and biophysical planetary limits. Proponents argue that excessive growth has already breached seven out of nine essential planetary limits, threatening systems like food production. The difficulty in adopting degrowth is attributed not necessarily to a lack of conceptual necessity, but to the term’s “poor marketing and aesthetic perception.”