Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary ChangeOur day-to-day experiences over the past decade have taught us that there must be limits to our tremendous appetite for energy, natural resources, and consumer goods. Even utility and oil companies now promote conservation in the face of demands for dwindling energy reserves. And for years some biologists have warned us of the direct correlation between scarcity and population growth. These scientists see an appalling future riding the tidal wave of a worldwide growth of population and technology. A calm but unflinching realist, Catton suggests that we cannot stop this wave - for we have already overshot the Earth's capacity to support so huge a load. He contradicts those scientists, engineers, and technocrats who continue to write optimistically about energy alternatives. Catton asserts that the technological panaceas proposed by those who would harvest from the seas, harness the winds, and farm the deserts are ignoring the fundamental premise that "the principals of ecology apply to all living things." These principles tell us that, within a finite system, economic expansion is not irreversible and population growth cannot continue indefinitely. If we disregard these facts, our sagging American Dream will soon shatter completely. |
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abundant adaptation Age of Exuberance already American animals antinomian became become began biotic community biotic potential capita Cargoist carrying capacity century Chapter climax community coal competition consumer continued cornucopian crash culture density dependence depletion detritovorous detritus developed dominance drawdown method earth Easter Island ecological paradigm ecological succession economic ecosystem enlarged environment environmental European fact farm finite fossil acreage fossil fuels future ghost acreage global growth habitat happened Homo colossus Homo sapiens human carrying capacity human population increase industrial irruption kind land less limits listed among references living Malthus man's mankind ment million myth of limitlessness nations nature niches organisms overshoot pacity percent phantom carrying capacity photosynthesis plants political population density population pressure post-exuberant predicament principle problems production progress prosthetic recognize references for Ch seral stage social solar energy species substances succession takeover method tion W. I. Thomas Williamsburg York