A new documentary on the BBC World Service, Can the world get rich forever?, looks at “our apparent addiction to economic growth as the secret to prosperity and cure for global poverty”.
The 53 minute radio documentary asks questions like:
In a finite world with limited resources, can economies continue to grow indefinitely, or will physical and environmental constraints have the final word? Do technology and humanity’s apparently inexhaustible supply of ingenuity have the answer – or do we need to redefine what we understand by wealth and growth? Will we have to accept one day, that for the majority to get richer, some may actually have to become poorer? Is the future one of resource wars and ever-increasing pollution, or can we create a world in which energy and resource use remains stable, but living standards continue to rise?
You can listen to it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02ljc20