by Donella H. Meadows, et al. (1972)

If humankind survives the ecological crisis, future generations will look back on this book with the sad realization that our species was sternly warned about the Earth's ecological constraints.  The Limits to Growth used systems analysis and rudimentary computer models to show that, "If present growth trends in world population, industrialization, pollution, food production, and resource depletion continue unchanged, the limits to growth on this planet will be reached sometime within the next one hundred years.  The most probable result will be a rather sudden and uncontrollable decline in both population and industrial capacity." (p. 29)

This stunningly prescient book was viciously attacked both for questioning growth and for "predicting" resource exhaustion and environmental collapse.  However, the latter claim was a blatant lie - an early instance of the numerous falsehoods that now debase environmental discussions.  The authors repeatedly stated that they were not making predictions, but only indicating, "... the general direction [that] our system, as it is currently structured, is taking us."  (p. 50)

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