SOONER OR LATER we're gonna have to come to terms with the fact that perpetual economic growth is not sustainable, not on a planet with limitations, such as earth. More people, more economic prosperity, more manufactured goods - what's the limit?
Much higher than what we have now, probably, if we would just manage it right. But how much more growth? The human race will eventually have to expand into space, and start creating habitats in places other than the surface of this planet; in orbit around this planet, under the oceans on this planet, on the moon, mars, or beyond.
resources, for all practical purposes, are unlimited in the universe. The basie building blocks, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, are either found everywhere or can be manufactured, and the heavier elements are found wherever stars and solar systems are.
Our descendants will marvel and laugh at us for having had what we thought was an energy problem. For verily, energy is everywhere, all around us, all over us, falling on us constantly, drowning us in it.
But there is only so much land on a single planet, especially is it is used unwisely.
Soon, if not already, there will be enough cars, VCRs, TVs, in on planet earth, and the problem will become not how to produce enough material wealth for humanity, but how to distribute it. We really don't want any single human being "owning" too much land, do we? We humans only think we own this planet.
Our extraterrestrial observers laugh at us for this petty conceit. And for all our other petty conceits, such as individualism.
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