Last Limits

In 1972, a scientific report appeared that had the effect of a bomb: The Limits to Growth. Under the direction of Dennis Meadows, researchers at MIT revealed the dramatic consequences of unlimited growth in a finite world. For journalist Audrey Boehly, reading this book was a shock. Concerned about the future of her two daughters and their generation, she conducted the investigation: what are the various collapse scenarios announced today? What are the prospects for the 21st century? Are there solutions and desirable ways to design a sustainable way of life, which is respectful of planetary limits? Audrey Boehly first spoke with Dennis Meadows about the past 50 years and the decades to come. Then she interviewed twelve experts: the economist Gaël Giraud on the reception of the “Meadows report” at the time of its publication and on its influence; agronomist Marc Dufumier on the limits of our agricultural model; hydrogeologist Florence Habets on the scarcity of water resources; oceanographer Philippe Cury on the erosion of fishery resources; marine geologist Éric Chaumillon on the overexploitation of sand; Shift Project director Matthieu Auzanneau on the post-oil world; engineer Philippe Bihouix on metal shortages; paleoclimatologist Valérie Masson-Delmotte on the challenges of climate change; ecologist Sandra Lavorel on the effects of the Anthropocene on biodiversity; researcher Aurélien Boutaud on going beyond planetary limits; political scientist François Gemenne on the migratory and geopolitical impacts of the environmental crisis; sociologist Dominique Méda on the possibility of another model of society. To all those who want to act, this book offers necessary insight into the global nature of ecological issues, their interconnection, and the solutions available to us. A fascinating investigation of planetary boundaries, half a century after the “Meadows Report”