Limits to Growth

'If you only read one book ...make this it' - L. Hunter Lovins,
co-author of Natural Capitalism . 'It is time for the world to
re-read Limits to Growth! The message of 1972 is more real and
relevant in 2004, and we wasted 30 valuable years of action by
misreading the message of the first book' - Matthew R. Simmons,
founder, Simmons & Company International, the world's largest
energy investment banking firm. 'If you want to understand what's
going on Earth, read it' - Patrick Whitefield, Permaculture. In
1972, Limits to Growth shocked the world and forever changed the
global agenda by demonstrating that unchecked growth on our finite
planet was leading the Earth towards ecological 'overshoot' and
pending disaster. The book went on to sell millions of copies and
ignited a firestorm of controversy that burns hotter than ever in
these days of soaring oil prices, wars for resources and
human-induced climate change. This substantially revised, expanded
and updated edition follows on from Limits to Growth and its sequel
Beyond the Limits , which raised the alarm that we have already
overshot the planet's carrying capacity. Marshalling a vast array
of new, hard data, more powerful computer modelling and
incorporating the latest thinking on sustainability, ecological
footprinting and limits, this new book presents future overshoot
scenarios and makes an even more urgent case for a rapid
readjustment of the global economy toward a sustainable path. This
is compelling, essential and, indeed, essential reading for all
concerned with our common future.