We live in a culture addicted to growth. “Grow or die” is the mantra of chambers of commerce, economic development councils and elected officials. But it’s based on an outdated belief system. Cities, states, provinces and nations compete for population growth – to drive economic growth. It’s an insane prosperity strategy for numerous reasons:

1) An economy needs only be big enough to meet the needs of its population. Bigger population requires a bigger economy, but few benefits ensue.
2) We have grown on this planet to the point that growth has become “uneconomic:” the costs of growth exceed the benefits
3) Perpetual growth is unsustainable

This clip from the film, GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, visits this phenomenon.