The 1972 Meadows report: A wake-up call for plant science

Abstract

The 1972 Meadows report, ‘the limits to growth’, predicted a global socio-economic tipping point during the twenty-first century. Now supported by 50 years of empirical evidence, this work is a tribute to systems thinking and an invitation to take the current environmental crisis for what it is: neither a transition nor a bifurcation, but an inversion. For instance, we used matter (e.g., fossil fuel) to save time; we will use time to preserve matter (e.g., bioeconomy). We were exploiting ecosystems to fuel production; production will feed ecosystems. We centralised to optimise; we will decentralise to support resilience. In plant science, this new context calls for new research on plant complexity (e.g., multiscale robustness and benefits of variability), also extending to new scientific approaches (e.g., participatory research, art and science). Taking this turn reverses many paradigms and becomes a new responsibility for plant scientists as the world becomes increasingly turbulent.

Fostering Green Economic Growth: Exploring the Synergy of Green Innovation, Energy Efficiency, and Foreign Direct Investment in OECD Nations

“…Beginning in the 1970s, questions were posed regarding the limits of economic development and its effects on the environment and society. Since natural resources are limited, it was questioned whether economies could be expanded inde nitely (Hamant, 2023). The concept of "sustainable development" was proposed as a response to these concerns in the 1987, report "Our Common Future" or Brundtland Report (McManus, 2014).…”