Summary of Donella H. Meadows' Limits to Growth

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of Donella H. Meadows' Limits to Growth in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: In 1972 four young scientists at MIT wrote The Limits to Growth, which shocked theworld and became an international best-seller. Using the World3 computer model,the authors looked toward the future, for the first time showing the consequences ofunchecked growth on a finite planet. Now, armed with 30 additional years of data,these authors sound the alarm on humanity’s devastating effects on climate, waterquality, fisheries, forests, and other imperiled resources.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Dec 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669340515

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

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Insights on Donella H. Meadows's Limits to Growth

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Overshoot occurs when a system pushes itself beyond its limits. The causes are always growth, acceleration, and change. The limits are always imposed by a system's physical constraints, such as the amount of space it has, the amount of time it has, or the inherent limitations of a biological, political, or psychological system.

#2

The author will explain the four different views of the world that she and her colleagues have used over the years to examine the long-term consequences of human population and economy growth.

#3

The first step towards solving an Overshoot Problem is understanding it. The four steps are: 1) recognize Overshoot, 2) understand the four causes of Overshoot, 3) apply the four solutions, and 4) recognize your progress.

#4

The world’s population has grown dramatically over the past century, from 1. 6 billion people in 1900 to more than 7 billion today. TABLE 1-1 Synonyms for the Word Growth -> Growth is a dominant system behavior because it is a cause for celebration.

#5

The human economy is dependent on many things from the earth, and those things are becoming scarce or are deteriorating.

#6

The Earth has a carrying capacity, which is the maximum number of people it can support. Once we surpass this number, we enter into overshoot, where we consume more resources than are available.

#7

In this world, people are able to live a decent life without having to worry about food or shelter. They are able to have a family the way nature intended it, without having to worry about overpopulating the planet.

#8

There is a wide variety of possible futures, ranging from abrupt global collapse to a smooth transition to sustainability. The only real options are to bring the rates of growth that support human activities down to sustainable levels through human choice, human organization, and human technology, or to let nature do so through lack of resources.

#9

The problems the world faces are