APEC one result was a possible new trading block.
One the President of the USA said his country needs.
To drive Growth,and put Americans back to work.
Grow the economy,grow the population,[business says we must have more workers.
Why.
Wealth creation, just as growth is worshiped we are told wealth creation too,is a wanted out come.
Europe,perhaps soon the worlds financial crisis started it seems by too much growth to fast.
It over took ability to pay.
It almost seems we are building crisis, financial stalling,in to our system.
To refresh? growth.
Can we forever trust in growth .
And what of those being left even further behind while those growing race away.
I do not target Capitalism.
But question can it forever drive us to consume more.

Can we sustain constant growth.It calls for growth in consumers too.
Growth in work force,population.
Services.
Is there another way.
Even a depression would not stop growth.
After it was over we would see growth return, until the next crash?

Belly, you know the one about the girl from Riga, who went for a ride on a tiger. Well mate I think were on the back of another tiger, & running like crazy to make sure that we don't come back inside that tiger.

Your mates want/need more money. The easiest, & often the only way for most business to pay more is to turnover more. It's either that, or charge more. With ever hungry government always finding ways to extract more, increased turnover is often the only way to stand still.

Some countries have done it, stopped population growth, & I would like to see us do it, but I doubt we can stop price growth, while we remain part of the trading scene.

Actually I think the question is a bit too tough for me.

Dear Belly,

Looking at this logically the world population is
growing which includes Australia. As a result
we need to produce more food, services, employment,
housing, transport,advanced technology, education,
health care, and so on, which
generates by its very nature - growth. Now if we add to
that the current corporate greed, growth is at an ever
increasing capacity.

No matter what outcomes on this planet - disasters, wars,
famines, growth will still continue unless there is a
decline in population then naturally there will be less
demand on growth.

I've recently seen a program on SBS analysizing world
population growth. And unless there are drastic measures
taken such as mass sterilisation, or uncontrollable spread
of disease throughout the world, the global population will
continue to grow. So to the pressure on the world economy.
It appears that there is no easy solution.

We can of course escape to our own little paradise in the sun
isolated from all civilisation and live in our own little dream
world but of course we'd have to be self sufficient

Dear Belly,

I probably didn't put it very well in my previous post
so I'll try to do better in this one.

What I'm trying to say is that with an expected world
population growth of over nine billion we will overshoot -
undoubtedly very seriously the world's carrying capacity
for which we will suffer probably for ages, as will our
natural world, until we can reduce the human population
and return our ecosystems to sustainable health.

What we need to recognise is that our overshoot will be
as a result of human population growth and the natural
desire of all humans for a middle-class lifestyle. It
all probability things will get worse before they get better.
We need sensible birth control - we need to reduce the total
numbers (probably to at least half the nine billion), the less
environmental damage we will need to repair - if that is done.

A better world is possible, it will take time, it will be
difficult, but it will be worth it. However it's time we realised
that - we don't become happier if life is led in search of the
next material object, in conspicuous consumption. That a few
have overcome scarcity means little if the majority live in
poverty. We need to address human population growth and conventional
economic growth.

It's the growth of stupidity that worries me most.