The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality
Economists insist that recovery is at hand, yet unemployment remains
high, real estate values continue to sink, and governments stagger under record deficits. The End of Growth proposes a startling
diagnosis: humanity has reached a fundamental turning point in its
economic history. The expansionary trajectory of industrial civilization
is colliding with non-negotiable natural limits.Richard
Heinberg's latest landmark work goes to the heart of the ongoing
financial crisis, explaining how and why it occurred, and what we must
do to avert the worst potential outcomes. Written in an engaging, highly readable style, it shows why growth is being blocked by three factors:Resource depletionEnvironmental impactsCrushing levels of debtThese converging limits will force us to re-evaluate cherished economic theories and to reinvent money and commerce.The End of Growth describes
what policy makers, communities, and families can do to build a new
economy that operates within Earth's budget of energy and resources. We can thrive during the transition if we set goals that promote human and environmental well-being, rather than continuing to pursue the now-unattainable prize of ever-expanding GDP.
