Tag Archives: Sustainability

No, Virginia, Santa Claus is not real. Yes, climate deniers, human industry can and does affect earth’s natural systems. And yes, growth proponents, there is such a thing as overpopulation. While I have yet to encounter anyone who disagrees with this notion when presented with a small scale example (i.e. only so many people can live in any given apartment building), many of those same folks balk at the idea that earth itself has a holding capacity. Or a productive limit. The thinking seems to be that there will always be some new parcel of land to cultivate (there won’t), or that technological developments such as bioengineering or vertical farms will negate the need for more land (they won’t). The simple and incontrovertible truth lies in the most basic of economic models, which in turn has become the most fundamental of sustainability relationships: supply and demand. Finite resources cannot sustain infinite growth. Continue reading →