Limits to Growth
by Donella H. Meadows, Dennis Meadows, Jorgen Randers, Dennis L. Meadows, Behrens, William W., III, Jørgen Randers · first published 1972
24% recommend63% neutral13% critical
Why HN recommends it
Systems-dynamics look at how population, economy, resources and environment interact, arguing the world is in overshoot. Recommended as an intro to systems thinking; its business-as-usual model tracked later data.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Limits to Growth, a study of the patterns and dynamics of human presence on earth, pointed toward environmental and economic collapse within a century if "business as usual" continued. In 1972, the book's findings sparked a worldwide controversy about the earth's capacity to withstand constant human and economic expansion. More than 40 years later, with more than 10 million copies sold in 28 languages, this "little book with powerful ideas" endures as a touchstone for anyone seeking to understand the complex relationships underlying today's global environmental and economic trends.
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…noncoercive birthrate reducing policies through Alan Weisman's excellent Countdown https://www.amazon.com/Countdown-Last-Best-Future-Earth/dp/0..., and of the critical importance of population through Limits to Growth https://www.amazon.com/Limits-Growth-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/19.... Those examples show that we can peacefully and stably lower birth rate to increase peace and prosperity and ease all other environmental…
on “Wildfires Are Raging Outside Every Major City in Australia” ↗…http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-transitions-history-req... Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power, in two volumes: http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... Limits to Growth is the old classic: http://www.worldcat.org/title/limits-to-growth/oclc/70551520... The 30 year update: http://www.worldcat.org/title/limits-to-growth-the-30-year-u... For a view of the political…
on “Saudi Arabia's Oil Wealth Is About to Get a Reality Check” ↗…information. Below are some of the resources i have been using/used: A brilliant introduction to systems thinking by John Sterman who is a legend in the field. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnTwZVviXyY Limits to Growth by Donella Meadows is a classic and a great introduction to some of the concepts. https://www.amazon.com/Limits-Growth-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/19... My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2231577740…
on “How to Understand Systems” ↗Understanding Media - Marshall McLuhan The Book: on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - Alan Watts The Limits to Growth - Donella Meadows Ishmael - Daniel Quinn
on “Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?” ↗…numbers I find most believable say we're over it, which can work until we exhaust non-renewables and perhaps destroy some renewables. I find the most compelling understanding still comes from the book Limits to Growth and this 2014 research showing us tracking their business-as-usual model pretty well, 40 years later https://sustainable.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/00.... Steady state economics has worked.…
on “The Global Fertility Crash” ↗…world colorfully and inspirationally. - The Once and Future World, by J.B. MacKinnon, for illustrating how much more nature there used to be, how much we've lost, and how much more we stand to lose. - Limits to Growth, the 30-year Update, almost 20 years old, but the most thorough treatment of us and our environment. Critics criticize it, but all the criticism I've seen actually criticizes straw men and other misunderstandings…
on “Science Books of 2019” ↗The best book and perspective I've read on population, the environment, the economy, technology, and how they all overlap is Limits to Growth, the 30 year update. It takes a systems approach to these related issues, not looking at just one in isolation, though recognizing you have to make assumptions. I'd love to talk to people about it but…
on “Earth Officially Home To 7 Billion Humans” ↗Limits to Growth - the 30 year update http://www.amazon.com/Limits-Growth-The-30-Year-Update/dp/19... An introduction to systems theory and a look at why the authors think our system is already in "overshoot" (living…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?” ↗Limits to Growth, the 30 Year Update Many videos: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=donella+meadows&atb=v173-1&iax=vid... Many Dennis Meadows (her husband) videos: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=dennis+meadows&atb=v173-1&iar=vide...
on “Systems Thinking in Practice (2016)” ↗I find Limits To Growth's view https://www.amazon.com/Limits-Growth-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/19... more compelling, especially that its business as usual model is still reasonably accurate based on 2014 research https://sustainable.unimelb.edu.au/publications/research-pap....…
on “The 2010s Have Been Amazing” ↗…Secrets to Wealth and Prosperity" (Napoleon Hill, PT Barnum, Dale Carnegie, Gibran, Benjamin Franklin; 5000+ pages). https://a.co/b8Ej6o7 Talking points: Peaceful coexistence, #GlobalGoals 1-17 (UN SDGs), "Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update" by Donella H. Meadows. https://a.co/7MgO0bv
on “Ask HN: Best online speech / public speaking course?” ↗Highly recommend Thinking in Systems or Limits to Growth, both by Donella Meadows.
on “$100M xPrize for Carbon Removal” ↗You might want to read up on their second wager. If they had taken that first wager 10 years ago, what do you think the result would be? If you haven't, I would suggest "The Limits to Growth." I'm not arguing for "de-growth," but I think your fundamental assumption that we can innovate or Silicon Valley our way out of climate change without inadvertently sacrificing economic prosperity is…
on “Earth Overshoot Day” ↗Not books on Software engineering, but since you asked for most impact: * Limits to Growth (Meadows, Meadows & Randers) * Sustainable Energy: Without the hot air (David MacKay) Available here: https://www.withouthotair.com/ * Sitopia (Carolyn Steel)
on “Ask HN: Name 3-5 books that had the most impact on your career and knowledge?” ↗Everyone needs to read The Limits to Growth and then come back to this piece for a laugh. Donella Meadows is far more profound and intelligent then the vast majority of non-system thinkers who stumbled into the halls of power.
on “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto” ↗