track the world's wealthiest

[oilyriser]

Outsourcing all industry would also cut energy use a lot.

 

[Gary Allan]

It doesn't matter what you do if you insist on existing in an economic system that requires increased levels of consumption to function. Whatever you're consuming must grow in volume and the energy required to produce it is unchanged.

 

[labman]

Consumption increases because economic activity allows it.

 

[Gary Allan]

Increased consumption is a requirement for an expanding economy. The physics of our monetary system require ever escalating levels of consumption to keep the trains moving. Works okay until you slam up against a few immovable objects.

 

[oilyriser]

Decreasing population would also work, if you want to raise per capita income.

 

[Gary Allan]

Nope, while it will raise per capita income, it will not get the bills paid. There can't be an expanding economy if you don't have more proles.

That's why demographers say that we need somewhere to the tune of 500M in the next 10 years or so. People to fill otherwise empty houses. Passengers to fill otherwise idle and empty trains ..workers to fill otherwise empty office buildings.

You literally need them to pay bills that you created for them.

 

[Kestas]

It's sad - you're describing a pyramid scheme. This is never self-sustaining.

 

[Shannow]

It IS a pyramid scheme.

You borrow $10, and the bank needs $11 back. That $1 has to be "made" through growth.

And targeting say 3% p.a. growth isn't a linear growth, it's an exponential.

 

[Gary Allan]

..the oddity of it all..if viewed from outside our monetary requirements ..is that you are constructing all of this (massive gains in population ..massive production of "stuff" for them to buy ..massive consumption of finite resources) ..just to literally never balance equations that move electronic slips of green paper from one side of the balance sheet to the other.


It's really strange when you think about it. You normally consider a monetary system to more easily serve the needs of societies ..humans ..people. It's supposed to allow them more freedom in conducting affairs of needs. In our case, we're enslaved to the monetary system.