"Limitless growth of population or industry on a finite planet is a logical impossibility."

Perhaps the author could also do a little historic research on the dismal history of the doom-sayer from Malthus through to Ehrlich and Gore.

While limitless grow on population might be difficult to sustain, we are centuries from that prospect and in all likelihood population levels will be falling by the end of this century.

While economic growth might not be limitless that doesn't mean we are anywhere near the actual, unknowable, limit. But every generation beleives it is at or near the limit.

A study of the history of that would do the author and many others the world of good.

There are two reasons to study history: the sheer joy of it; the education as to how we got here from there and where to next. Do it for one or both.

Footnote: Bismuth 213 is an alpha particle isotope that in therapy, is attached to an anti-cancer antibody. That goes directly to the cancer cells, killing them alone! Without harming healthy tissue.
And because Bismuth 213 has a half-life of just 45 minutes time and distance is of the essence!
Bismuth has proved a successful and lasting therapy, And not just for death sentence brain cancer but, myeloid leukaemia Lung, Liver Prostate cancers as well?
Even when the patient is in stage four and beyond all hope, courtesy of indifferent parliaments, with the power to rectify this terrible repeat time and again, heartbreak situation for ar too many.
Dead folk don't vote, well, generally not as a rule in free and fair elections! But their fully informed grieving relatives will!
Incidentally, because it's an alpha particle isotope and able to be attached to an antibody, many otherwise terminal illnesses may be able to be successfully treated?
Alan B

Nuclear oncology is just soooooooooooooooooooooooo relevant to the topic ;-p

All official institutional HIS-stories are built upon two connected maxims:
The golden rule - those who have the most gold get to write the "official" HIS-stories.

The barrel of a gun rule, which is obviously closely related to the golden rule - those who have the most guns get to write the "official" HIS-story.

All "official" HIS-stories are thus used as a weapon to justify the "authority" of those who control any given society or culture, and now in the "21st century" the entire humanly created world-Mummery - as described on this this site: http://www.historyisaweapon.com , and this site too:
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com

But that having been said all of our politics and HIS-stories are driven by dark irrational unconscious psychological (psychic) forces as described on these two websites:
http://www.psychohistory.com

http://www.violence.de/index.html

Or you could simply read Steven Pinker and save yourself a lot of time and effort working on history at all.

He does it all for you, and arrives at the fact that Democracy is the key. Keeping it honest and corruption free is the answer to most ills facing modern civilisations.

Keep cruising!

Pete,

Thorium didn't get a mention.