6 years ago

The Limits to Growth

1973 MIT computer predicted future of civilisation

On august 6th 2018 Australian broadcaster ABC republished its original report from the 1970s on youtube, since there is just two years until a major change is expected according to the computer model.

The eerie calculation has been remarkably accurate in certain predictions, such as a stagnated quality of life and diminishing pool of natural resources.

“If we do nothing about it, the quality of life goes down to zero. Pollution becomes so seriously it will start to kill people, which in turn will cause the population to diminish, lower than it was in the 1900.”

Watch the truly fascinating original ABC report below:

In 1973, Australia’s largest computer predicted trends such as pollution levels, population growth, availability of natural resources and quality of life on earth.

The computer probably at that time was the Control Data Corporation 6600 computer, there were several CDC6600s in Australia at the time. It was designed by Jay Wright Forrester, a pioneering American computer engineer and systems scientist. And was 3 times faster then the previous record holder, the IBM 7030 Stretch.

Computing pioneer Jay Forrester, SM ’45, developed the magnetic-core memory. Then he founded the field of system dynamics. Those are just two of his varied pursuits. Read more here

Applications of System Dynamics – Jay W. Forrester

The computer model processed by one of the world’s largest computers in 1973, predicted that the civilisation as it is will end by 2040. The prediction came from a programme nicknamed World One, which was developed by a team of MIT researchers and processed by Australia’s largest computer.

The Limits to Growth – A report for the Club of Rome’s project on the predicament of mankind.

Read their research published in 1972, The Limits of Growth here

The Club of Rome (1968)

The Club of Rome was founded in 1968 as an informal association of independent leading personalities from politics, business and science, men and women who are long-term thinkers interested in contributing in a systemic interdisciplinary and holistic manner to a better world.

The Club of Rome members share a common concern for the future of humanity and the planet.

In 1972, the Club of Rome published its first report, „The Limits to Growth“. The report warned that if growth rates seen between 1900 and 1972 were to continue, humanity would overstep planetary boundaries sometime between 2000 and 2100.

40 years later, there is no doubt that the world has been crossing and continues to cross planetary limits. The consequence is a series of crises faced by our global society.

Within the first decade of this Millennium, humanity already finds itself in at least five major ecological and social crises. Each of them is a warning sign, that something is going wrong: An unemployment crisis, a food crisis, a global financial crisis, an economic crisis and a global ecological crisis.

These individual crises are, in fact, driven by many of the same root causes: Values not aligned with the crises we are facing and an antiquated belief system, an outdated economy, outdated institutions and inadequate delivery mechanisms.

We are faced with the necessity to evolve towards new and higher social systems, that are needed to effectively manage higher levels of technological capability, globalization of society, greater human mobility, etc. We should not focus on what seems to have been lost, but on what humanity has until now never possessed. Society is evolving. Understanding the present in the light of the past, we see only the problems resulting in gloom. Understanding the present in the light of the future it compels us to evolve, we see the opportunities it points to.

Learn more about The Club Of Rome

A Radical New Sharing Economy – The Third Industrial Revolution

Jeremy Rifkin is and economist, political advisor and renewable energy specialist. In Backlight Talks he talks about the changing energy market during the Third Industrial Revolution.

Watch VICE’s New Documentary, ‘The Third Industrial Revolution: A Radical New Sharing Economy’ in FULL, below

The Fourth Industrial Revolution

We stand on the brink of another technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before.

We do not yet know just how it will unfold, but one thing is clear: the response to it must be integrated and comprehensive, involving all stakeholders of the global polity, from the public and private sectors to academia and civil society.

What It Means and How to Respond By Klaus Schwab 

What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution?