Signal Population doubled and GDP rose tenfold in fifty years; ecological deficit since 1970

Summary

The Megatrends 2040 report observes that over the past fifty years the world population has doubled while global GDP has risen tenfold. Agricultural and industrial output have grown as well. As a consequence, the report says, the Earth has been running an ecological deficit since 1970, consuming more than its ecosystems can replace. It cites a 2019 warning from the Global Footprint Network that humanity is using resources far faster than the planet can regenerate them, undermining future regenerative capacity. These trends underpin the report's view that resource scarcity will intensify toward 2040.