Growth of fishing boats in an overfished territory is a disaster. A light bulb that gives the same light using one-eighth as much electricity means negative growth worth celebrating. The planet Earth develops, diversifies, evolves. It does not grow. The same must ultimately be true of the human economy, if it is to be sustained on and by this planet.
Sustainable growth is neither desirable nor possible.
But sustainable development, providing more services to human beings while putting less load on the environment, is entirely possible, if we develop the words to talk about it, understand it, act on it and bring it into being. 1 Donella H. Meadows is an adjunct professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College. If you liked this, you can find Meadows' more recent columns at her People-Centered Development Forum .