Economic Growth Version 1.0 is finished: The great disruption has begun

Paul Gilding

Paul Gilding is a prominent Australian writer and activist for action on climate change and sustainability. He argues that we have entered a period of global ecological crisis and economic stagnation that will last for decades.

In his lecture Paul argued that this economic stagnation will lead to an economic and social transformation of significance in the history of humanity. That crisis is now inevitable because the fundamental drivers are not opinion or politics but the established momentum of changes in the ecosystem. This is not philosophy Paul claimed, its physics and biology.

He outlined the crisis we are now entering, and how it will present humanity with a clear choice between civilizations' collapse, or economic and social transformation. He assured the audience that humanity will choose the latter, because there is no other way around the wall. Paul also detailed how this will lead to the complete transformation of our cities, our transport system and our energy sector in order to achieve a net zero CO2 economy. Whole sectors of the economy and many businesses will need to be replaced and all this will occur within a few decades.

• The Lecture by Paul Gilding on 29 April 2009 was part of the Sydney Ideas: international public lecture series.

• Watch the video of Paul's talk.