Join Donella Meadows, an environmental scientist who co-authored 'The Limits to Growth', and her husband Dennis Meadows, a systems thinker, along with global visionary Aurelio Peccei and inventor Jay Forrester. They dive into the urgent critique of endless economic expansion on our finite planet. Explore the historical context of their groundbreaking study, the impact of rapid population growth, and the critical need for sustainability. They challenge current capitalist ideologies and advocate for a new economic paradigm that harmonizes human prosperity with ecological limits.

On this episode, we meet with Professor Emeritus of Systems Management and author, Dennis Meadows. Meadows revisits Limits to Growth 50 years after it was published.  Looking back, how does Meadows view the book? How much of the response to his description of overshoot was based in fear? Meadows offers advice to current leaders based on the models he developed in Limits to Growth. Why is it important to develop success indicators, and how can they be clearly communicated to the public?  Further, Meadows explores the available leverage points to avoid the worst types of collapse at our current stage of crises.  About Dennis Meadows: Dennis Meadows is the Emeritus Professor of Systems Management at MIT and the co-author of Limits to Growth and Beyond the Limits.  He has received numerous awards and is the recipient of four honorary doctorates for his contributions to environmental education. He co-authored the pioneering 1972 book The Limits to Growth, which analyzed the long-term consequences of unconstrained resource consumption driven by population and economic growth on a finite planet. For Show Notes and Transcript visit: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/12-dennis-meadows

The most important book you never read – here's how it came to be. The story begins with young scientists Dana and Dennis Meadows, embarking on an eye-opening trip across Asia, a journey that would ignite their interest in understanding global problems. What were the origins of their famous project? How did they come across the Club of Rome, and set out on their ambitious quest to develop a World model that could help identify the societal trends driving looming crises? Join us in this episode to explore the genesis of a slim little book that would shake the world. Learn more at tippingpoint-podcast.com. Researched, Created, and Produced by: Katy Shields and Vegard Beyer Narration: Katy Shields Story Editing: Vegard Beyer Original Music Score: Nora Beyer Sound Editing: Anna Magdalino Artwork: Amy Shields We want to express our gratitude to those who have been instrumental in the making of this podcast. First and foremost, our thanks go to Graeme Maxton for introducing us to Dennis Meadows and Jorgen Randers. Their generous contribution of time and insight has been invaluable. We also wish to acknowledge the assistance and support we have received from many others, including Diana Wright, assistant to the late Dana Meadows, Marta Ceroni of The Donella Meadows Project at the Academy for Systems Change, Peter Carini of the Rauner Special Collections Library at Dartmouth College, the Smithsonian Institute, Alexander Greene, Robert Braile, Heiko Specking, and Anupam Saraph. Please note that while we have received help from many quarters, the presentation of events and any errors or omissions in this work are our own.