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DCBob

(24,689 posts)
Wed Apr 4, 2012, 06:52 PM Apr 2012

MIT researchers predict ‘global economic collapse’ by 2030

A new study from researchers at Jay W. Forrester's institute at MIT says that the world could suffer from "global economic collapse" and "precipitous population decline" if people continue to consume the world's resources at the current pace.

Smithsonian Magazine writes that Australian physicist Graham Turner says "the world is on track for disaster" and that current evidence coincides with a famous, and in some quarters, infamous, academic report from 1972 entitled, "The Limits to Growth."

Produced for a group called The Club of Rome, the study's researchers created a computing model to forecast different scenarios based on the current models of population growth and global resource consumption. The study also took into account different levels of agricultural productivity, birth control and environmental protection efforts. Twelve million copies of the report were produced and distributed in 37 different languages.

Most of the computer scenarios found population and economic growth continuing at a steady rate until about 2030. But without "drastic measures for environmental protection," the scenarios predict the likelihood of a population and economic crash.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/next-great-depression-mit-researchers-predict-global-economic-190352944.html

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Its inevitable if we continue to consume the worlds resources at the current unsustainable rate. There is no doubt about it. Our only hope to figure out a way to progress and prosper without such enormous consumption.

14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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MIT researchers predict ‘global economic collapse’ by 2030 (Original Post) DCBob Apr 2012 OP
Reduce consumption and go off-world for more resources. n/t Ian David Apr 2012 #1
Don't we have enough troubles without replicants? leveymg Apr 2012 #4
Well humans seem to only change when xchrom Apr 2012 #2
Yes, it will probably take a severe massive crisis to wake us up and take action. DCBob Apr 2012 #3
Alien Invasion... SomethingFishy Apr 2012 #5
Adios capitalism malaise Apr 2012 #6
As long as it takes the Plutocrats down, too, I'm all for it. Zalatix Apr 2012 #7
Soylent Green is the answer to all of our problems! Ikonoklast Apr 2012 #8
Only if it's made out of plutocrats. Eat the . . . leveymg Apr 2012 #9
i doubt that I will be around by that time. RebelOne Apr 2012 #10
my god, that's 45 minutes from now! GreatCaesarsGhost Apr 2012 #11
our species is amazingly resilent d_r Apr 2012 #12
Cool!!! greytdemocrat Apr 2012 #13
Graphic image warning... GliderGuider Apr 2012 #14

DCBob

(24,689 posts)
3. Yes, it will probably take a severe massive crisis to wake us up and take action.
Wed Apr 4, 2012, 06:58 PM
Apr 2012

Unfortunate but true.

 

Zalatix

(8,994 posts)
7. As long as it takes the Plutocrats down, too, I'm all for it.
Wed Apr 4, 2012, 07:06 PM
Apr 2012

Most folks don't realize that the alternative to a total collapse is actually WORSE.

Even President Obama now understands that we're headed into an era of social Darwinism overseen by the power elite - which will result in an even BIGGER population crash.

RebelOne

(30,947 posts)
10. i doubt that I will be around by that time.
Wed Apr 4, 2012, 07:37 PM
Apr 2012

That is, if I live for another 18 years. I am already 73. I would be 97 years old and I do not want to live that long.

d_r

(6,907 posts)
12. our species is amazingly resilent
Wed Apr 4, 2012, 07:56 PM
Apr 2012

as individuals we are tragically fragile. I agree with this prediction - if we continue the path we are on, there will be a great deal of suffering and loss of life.

But as a species, we will go on. Most of the human population through our history has not lived the way the industrialized population has lived the past couple of centuries. It is going to be a tough adjustment.

 

GliderGuider

(21,088 posts)
14. Graphic image warning...
Thu Apr 5, 2012, 09:33 AM
Apr 2012

We haven't deviated significantly from the "standard run" curves since LtG was published.


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