Abstract
The book is a sequel to The Limits to Growth published 20 years ago by the Club of Rome, which showed that if growth trends continued unchanged, the limits to physical growth on the planet would be reached within 100 years. This new version collates evidence showing that the world has already overshot some of its limits. If present trends continue, it is argued that there will be a rapid decline in food production, industrial capacity, population and life- expectancy. The alternative is to create a sustainable future. Using a computer model as a tool to project the future, and by varying the basic global policy assumptions, a range of possible outcomes are described. It is shown that a sustainable society is technically and economically feasible, if growth in material consumption and population are slowed down and there is a drastic increase in the efficiency of material and energy use. To make that transition, long- and short-term goals will need to be balanced enhancing equity and quality of life.