The Club of Rome and its computer.

When the Club of Rome an assemblage of 75 scientists and businessmen gathered to study the predicament of mankind in the face of technology growing at an exponential rate issued its computer study it launched a battle between proponents of gross national product and those favoring quality of life. The computer simulation studied the interaction of population growth food supply inductrial production resource use and pollution under varying conditions. It concluded that our industrial system is headed for too many people in relation to food and living space too much production in relation to natural resources and for too much pollution. This will affect all countries. The traditional economists say the continued growth of the gross national product is the only way to ensure better living conditions while the ecologists point out that quality of life is being destroyed. The author cites arguments both for and against the quality-of-life view. The problem is that continued industrial growth creates wants as well as satisfying them and leads to waste as well as needful consumption. John Stuart Mill stated 100 years ago that the world could not support continued technological expansion and society must reach an equilibrium. 8 steps must be taken if the planet is to reach such an equilibrium which is essential to the survival of all: 1) a zero rate of population growth although there may be variations between countries with some over and some under; 2) a zero rate of industrial output with overall new investment equal to overall rate of industrial depreciation; 3) a policy of recycling and conserving material resources; 4) an adequate budget of food shelter clothing health services and education for every human being (a budget which does not allow for autos and air conditioning); 5) a sharp decline in consumption of material goods in affluent societies with a corresponding shift to more services and an increase in material goods for low energy societies; 6) pure science to be supported without limitation so long as it remains on the blackboard and a sharp increase in social science expenditures to help deal with the severe cultural changes which are coming; 7) evaluation of the effects of applied science or technology before a given innovation goes into mass production; 8) some type of organized world community to administer and safeguard a steady-state society.