On a full planet, where human civilization is already in overshoot and in the process of crippling life-supporting ecosystems, it’s unfortunately not possible for the world’s poor, en masse, to rise out of poverty and live as richly as the even the average family in the industrialized world. There’s not enough biocapacity for 8 billion people to live high on the hog, and technology has not changed that. But “reputable” economists and technology Pollyanna’s like Andrew McAfee routinely fail to recognize this.

In this episode, Dave and Erika respond to the surge of listener feedback from GrowthBusters Episode 35, Decoupling Nonsense, in which they critiqued the unrealistic premise of Andrew McAfee’s latest book, More from Less: The Surprising Story of How We Learned to Prosper Using Fewer Resources-and What Happens Next.

After listening to that episode, Terry Spahr, executive producer of the film 8 Billion Angels, sent a thoughtful email with some particularly interesting ideas. So we invited him to join us on the podcast to discuss. He offers an interesting challenge to some of the things we advocate on this podcast. He’s not necessarily impressed with the things you do that you THINK are shrinking your footprint. Find out why in this episode.

How can we react to all this information and behave fairly and ethically? Let us know what you think.

The conversation with Terry Spahr was recorded in November of 2019. He is in the process of planning screenings around the world for his film. Visit the film website to learn more.

*In case you haven’t already, we recommend listening to Episode 35, Decoupling Nonsense, prior to listening to this episode. Enjoy!

Links:

8 Billion Angels (film)

Earth Overshoot nonprofit

Decoupling Nonsense – Episode 35 of the GrowthBusters podcast

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