Using an evolutionary ecology perspective, William E. Rees argues that modern techno-industrial society is in a state of advanced ecological overshoot. Fossil fuels have enabled a massive expansion of humanity that constitutes the most globally significant ecological phenomena in 250 000 years of human evolutionary history. He concludes that humanity is exhibiting the dynamic of a one-off population boom-bust cycle and that the economy will inevitably contract, diminishing the human population.
The Human Ecology of Overshoot: Why a Major ‘Population Correction’ is Inevitable
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Author(s)
William E. Rees
Publication Date
11 August 2023
Publisher
The World (vol. 4)
DOI / URL
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Resource Type
Academic Journal Article
Systems Addressed
Earth System
Resource Theme
Societal Collapse