Can the Economy Grow for Ever?

World economic forum?... source aside.

What is GDP growth? Well construction is a component. https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp-from-construc...

Size doesn't matter but I can imagine 300 years from now where we have concreted from Toronto to Vancouver to Miami. There's 50 billion people living in north america and GDP is still growing because there will always be something to construct. No idea if that will ever happen but it illustrates that GDP growth is always possible so long as this option is possible.

GDP INCREASES!!! after terrorist attacks or natural disasters. Something is destroyed and you need to construct a new one. This is new GDP created. How about that war economy? Yep. Bombs contribute to GDP.

So yes, the economy will grow forever. GDP growing forever is a requirement of the system. The exception will be only if something large enough will break the system.

You could declare martial law and anyone on the streets without military approval is to be killed as a saboteur. The economy and GDP dies. Obviously government is the key place that can break the economy.

>This animated video explainer by TEDEd and the World Economic Forum inspects the arguments for going 'post growth' in order to save the planet.

So the proposal is that government steps in and intentionally breaks the system 'to save the planet'

Now I'm not going to comment on the need of 'saving the planet' that may very well be necessary, but if they are wrong it's a dystopian future.

GDP isn't the economy. The economy can grow to some limit but will stop, and it will be more expensive, in terms of things we don't currently assign value to like water, air, quiet, peace in order to get there.

Another question is "what's it worth?" since the rat race will continue for quite a while. Some people think it's important that the earth hold 30 billion people, as if they wanted to live shoulder to shoulder and eat factory food.

You will eat ze bugs!