GrowthBusters Dave Gardner on sustainability

Biologist Paul Ehrlich reflects on the 1972 MIT study, The Limits to Growth, on its 50th anniversary – including the fact that it has been refuted (poorly), ignored, and confirmed. The study was done by a team of scientists commissioned by the Club of Rome to develop a computer model to simulate the interaction of earth and human systems. It revealed that continuation of the then-current trends in population, industrialization, resource use and pollution would result in overshooting the carrying capacity of the Earth and result in a general collapse at some point in the first half of the 21st century.
The study results were published in the 1972 book, The Limits to Growth, which holds the record as the top-selling environmental book. The book was authored by four system dynamics scientists (Donella Meadows, Dennis Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William Behrens III). Gaya Herrington, whose 2020 analysis of The Limits to Growth was published in Yale’s Journal of Industrial Ecology, described the study and book aptly: “the authors identified society’s relentless pursuit of growth not as the solution to, but the cause of, so many of the environmental and social crises that plague humanity still today.”
“....what is it about Homo sapiens that leads us to the limits as a moth to a flame.  Why don’t we stop?  Why should we?  Can we?”   – Brian Czech, Executive Director of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy
Read The Limits to Growth:
Online Read, but includes scans of pages and downloadable charts
https://collections.dartmouth.edu/teitexts/meadows/diplomatic/meadows_ltg-diplomatic.html
High Quality Scan
https://collections.dartmouth.edu/content/deliver/inline/meadows/pdf/meadows_ltg-001.pdf

Mentioned in Our Discussion of The Limits to Growth:
Limits to Growth 50th Anniversary Events - on Club of Rome website
https://www.clubofrome.org/ltg50-events/
UN Event June 2-3: Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity
View live on the web:
https://www.stockholm50.global/events/programme
The Stockholm+50 Conference: What You Need to Know and Why It Matters
https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/the-stockholm50-conference-what-you-need-to-know-and-why-it-matters/
Take this survey before June 2: https://www.stockholm50.global/state-planet-global-public-survey
June 10 seminar: Limits to Growth +50: Can Economies Keep Growing Indefinitely on a Finite Planet?
Organized by: Norwegian University of Life Sciences
https://www.nmbu.no/en/faculty/landsam/department/noragric/research/seminars/node/44433
The Limits to Growth at 50: From Scenarios to Unfolding Reality - by Richard Heinberg
https://www.resilience.org/stories/2022-02-24/the-limits-to-growth-at-50-from-scenarios-to-unfolding-reality/
Limits and Beyond (New book April 2022 from the Club of Rome, a collection of essays)
https://exapt.press/books/limits-and-beyond
Nate Hagens interviews Dennis Meadows in his podcast, The Great Simplification.
https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/12-dennis-meadows
Dennis Meadows on the 50th Anniversary of the Publication of The Limits to Growth - interview by Richard Heinberg
https://www.resilience.org/stories/2022-02-22/dennis-meadows-on-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-publication-of-the-limits-to-growth/
Is Global Collapse Imminent? – by Graham Turner (2014)
The Limits to Growth “standard run” (or business-as-usual, BAU) scenario produced in 1972 aligns well with historical data that has been updated in this paper
https://sustainable.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/2763500/MSSI-ResearchPaper-4_Turner_2014.pdf
Update to Limits to Growth: Comparing the World3 Model with Empirical Data - by Gaya Herrington
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jiec.13084
Come On! Capitalism, Short-termism, Population and the Destruction of the Planet - by Anders Wijkman and Ersnt Von Weizscker and with contributions from

While nary a week goes by that we don’t get a new report of the destruction we’re wreaking on our home planet, the news has been particularly bad over the last few weeks. Plus: Bill Maher, usually praised by us for speaking the truth, needs to get there on the benefits of a shrinking economy. We devote half of this episode to the news, and half to our swelling file of listener feedback.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Population Decline is Part of the Solution - YouTube video (by GrowthBusters)
https://youtu.be/XXyyCY5IM6Q
Paul Ehrlich, Unfiltered – Episode 68 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/paul-ehrlich-unfiltered/
GrowthBusters Campus Tour
https://www.growthbusters.org/campus-tour/
8 Billion Angels – documentary produced by Terry Spahr
https://8billionangels.org/
Can Living a 1.5 Degree Lifestyle Make a Difference? - Episode 66 of the GrowthBusters podcast, with Lloyd Alter
https://www.growthbusters.org/can-1-5-degree-lifestyle-matter/
Obsessive-Compulsive’s Guide to Cutting Your Carbon Footprint - Episode 67 of the GrowthBusters podcast, with Lloyd Alter
https://www.growthbusters.org/cutting-carbon-footprint/
This Sustainable Life podcast with Josh Spodek
https://joshuaspodek.com/podcast
7th Generation Initiative / Sustainability Project (Mike Nickerson)
http://www.sustainwellbeing.net/
Life, Money & Illusion: Living on Earth as If We Want to Stay – by Mike Nickerson
http://www.sustainwellbeing.net/what_the_book_is_about.html
More Fun, Less Stuff- Episode 55 of the GrowthBusters podcast, with Mike Nickerson
https://www.growthbusters.org/more-fun-less-stuff/
Al Bartlett’s Laws Relating to Sustainability
https://www.albartlett.org/articles/art_reflections_part_5.html
Where Lawns Are Outlawed (and Dug Up, and Carted Away)
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/03/climate/las-vegas-lawn-grass-ban.html
As Climate Fears Mount, Some in U.S. Are Deciding to Relocate
https://e360.yale.edu/features/as-climate-fears-mount-some-in-u.s.-are-deciding-to-relocate
Chronic Land Degradation: UN Offers Stark Warnings and Practical Remedies in Global Land Outlook 2
https://www.unccd.int/resources/global-land-outlook/overview
Humanity Entering ‘Spiral of Self-Destruction’, UN Warns
https://www.france24.com/en/environment/20220426-humanity-entering-spiral-of-self-destruction-warns-un-disaster-agency?ref=tw
Latest IPCC Report Skips Population Growth in Summary for Policymakers, but Highlights it in Full Report and Technical Summary
https://overpopulation-project.com/population-in-the-ipccs-new-mitigation-report/
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – free on YouTube
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: 719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/

Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
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A reprise of Paul Ehrlich’s candid conversation with us on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, in April of 2020. We discuss the COVID pandemic, overpopulation, The Population Bomb (including an amusing mistake on the cover), dinner with Johnny Carson, the deficits of our university system, the climate crisis, and human civilization’s prospects (“I'm very pessimistic about the future but very optimistic about what we could do”).
Dr. Paul Ehrlich is most famous for co-writing The Population Bomb (1968). He is Bing Professor of Population Studies, Emeritus at Stanford University, and founded the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
GrowthBusters Campus Tour
https://www.growthbusters.org/campus-tour/
EarthX
https://earthx.org/
EarthxTV
https://video.earthxtv.com/
The Population Bomb by Anne and Paul Ehrlich
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Population_Bomb
Nov/Dec 2019 Sierra Magazine
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2019-6-november-december

BOOKS MENTIONED (by Paul Ehrlich):
Rattlesnake Under His Hat by Sam Hurst
https://www.earlbrockelsby.com/
The Wisest One in the Room – by Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25205421-the-wisest-one-in-the-room
Human Natures: Genes, Cultures, and the Human Prospect by Paul Ehrlich
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/159685.Human_Natures
Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment by Paul R. Ehrlich, John P. Holdren and Anne H. Ehrlich
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6348326-ecoscience
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: +1-719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/

Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
See the film, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube


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Chickens, Tomatoes and Cars: The Wonky Numbers Behind Your Carbon Footprint
We NEED to be obsessed with shrinking our footprint, and Lloyd Alter did the research, the spreadsheet, and the book to help us all do our part. Did you know you can cut your carbon footprint from food in half? In a continuation of last episode’s conversation, Lloyd Alter, author of Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle: Why Individual Climate Action Matters More than Ever, shares what matters most from what he learned while shrinking his annual carbon footprint to meet the carbon budget allowed to meet 1.5°C goals.
Don’t Miss: Stephanie makes a shocking confession about her 2019 lifestyle and carbon footprint. And Lloyd raised quite a stir with this tweet: “I was shocked when I e-biked past the gas station, the price is twice as high as when I last filled the car two years ago.”
Some of the Revelations:
Tomatoes have an unusually large carbon footprint. Eating food in season tastes better! He introduces us to the term “climatarian” - a person who chooses what to eat according to what is least harmful to the environment. We engage in “portion distortion” – we put too much on the plate and either eat too much or toss the excess The delivery of a take-out order emits twice the carbon of producing that food. Embodied energy or carbon, or upfront carbon emissions, are a big part of our consumption footprint We’d be well-served to focus on “sufficiency.” What is enough? What do you need?
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle – by Lloyd Alter
https://newsociety.com/books/l/living-the-1-5-degree-lifestyle
TreeHugger – one of the world’s leading sustainability information websites
https://www.treehugger.com/
Take the Jump - Less consuming but more creativity, care, comedy, camaraderie, contentment, craft, connection, celebration, culture and community.
https://takethejump.org/
Lettuce is Stupid
http://lettuceisstupid.com/
Pilot project and spreadsheet
https://1five.org
Hot or Cool Institute
https://hotorcool.org/ 
Global Footprint Network ecological footprint calculator
https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home/en


Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: +1-719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/

Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
See the film, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube


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Should we be sitting around eating burgers and driving pickup trucks, and just wait for the system change needed to live sustainably on this planet? We attempt here to put to rest the tired and misdirected debate about whether individual footprint-shrinking action is a distraction that slows needed systemic change, and whether it's worth doing.
Joining us in this conversation is Lloyd Alter, former managing editor of Treehugger, and author of a fairly new book, Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Living the 1.5 Degree Lifestyle – by Lloyd Alter
https://newsociety.com/books/l/living-the-1-5-degree-lifestyle
TreeHugger – one of the world’s leading sustainability information websites
https://www.treehugger.com/
Lifestyle Carbon Footprints and Changes in Lifestyles to Limit Global Warming To 1.5 °C
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11625-021-01018-6
Simplicity Institute
https://simplicityinstitute.org/
Elizabeth Warren on Major Industry Emissions - September 2019 Presidential Debate
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2019/09/04/elizabeth-warren-fossil-fuel-industry-cnn-climate-town-hall-vpx.cnn
Just 100 Companies Responsible for 71% of Global Emissions, Study Says – UK Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change
Jevons Paradox
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox
The JUMP Is a Movement Challenging Consumers to Live for Joy, Not Stuff – by Lloyd Alter
https://www.treehugger.com/take-the-jump-less-stuff-more-joy-5215018
Take the Jump - Less consuming but more creativity, care, comedy, camaraderie, contentment, craft, connection, celebration, culture and community.
https://takethejump.org/
Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Still Matters – Slate
home.https://slate.com/technology/2018/10/carbon-footprint-climate-change-personal-action-collective-action.html
IPCC Issues ‘Bleakest Warning Yet’ on Impacts of Climate Breakdown – UK Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/28/ipcc-issues-bleakest-warning-yet-impacts-climate-breakdown
Managing Without Growth – by Peter Victor
https://www.pvictor.com/


Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: +1-719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/

Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
See the film, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth
https://youtu.be/_w0LiBsVFBo

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube


Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

OK, boomers, we blew it. Our best hope is that younger generations are aware and smart enough to save the planet. What do they know, and what are their planet-saving intentions? We went straight to the source, and sat down with a University of Denver Ecological Economics class to get their perspective. This conversation explores awareness and solutions – for inequity, poverty, hunger, and overconsumption, but mainly for the climate crisis and overshoot.
A very big thanks to Professor Paul Sutton and the members of his Ecological Economics class:
Angie
Cody
Tim
Uma Baysal
Taynah Fernandes
Matt Gartland
Christian Giles
Katie Johnson
KJ Jumper
Melissa Kreppein
Juanlin Lin
Zein Massoud
Ava Moin
Katherine Sweeney
Gui Zeng

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Engagement/Outreach Part-Time Position Open at GrowthBusters
https://www.growthbusters.org/part-time-position-open-join-the-growthbusters-team/
Climate Anxiety in Children and Young People and Their Beliefs About Government Responses to Climate Change: A Global Survey
https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2542-5196%2821%2900278-3
World Leaders COP Out - Episode 62 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/world-leaders-cop-out/
Keeping Human Rights in Family Planning Policy as Depopulation Fears Mount – by Sam Sellers
https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2022/01/keeping-human-rights-family-planning-policy-depopulation-fears-mount/
Is Parenthood an Entitlement? - Episode 64 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/is-parenthood-an-entitlement/
The Causes and Consequences of Depopulation - Conference
https://www.oeaw.ac.at/vid/events/calendar/conferences/the-causes-and-consequences-of-depopulation
YouTube Playlist of conference
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNxGCu8j-xgKN3nm8oiqOeB6-KkVAvlFj
When Baby Well Runs Dry
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/2259507/when-baby-well-runs-dry
Will Rotterdam Make Way for Jeff Bezos, Lord of the Seas?  https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/02/what-will-happen-to-the-bezos-superyacht.html
Give Us Feedback:
Record a voice message for us to play on the podcast: +1-719-402-1400 Send an email to podcast at growthbusters.org The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones. https://www.fadermusicandsound.com/ https://carlosjones.com/
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
Join the conversation on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/

Make a donation to support this non-profit project.
https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/
Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes
http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/
Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates
https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup
Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org
View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube


Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode: