Stanford biologist and longtime sustainability advocate Dr. Paul Ehrlich is in Australia on a research project. He has given me permission to share his thoughts about the recent U.S. election, sent via email late last night, after the presidential election had been called. At GrowthBusters we try to remain apolitical, but of course we admonish political fools when they exhibit growthmania, and we congratulate political leaders when they demonstrate good sense. So, these are Paul Ehrlich’s words. Paul doesn’t hide his disdain for the current GOP, but I think it’s safe to say he’s not thrilled with President Obama’s environmental track record thus far. . . .

“We’ve got to get this economy going again!” Unless your cave lacks wifi, cable or satellite, you’ve heard this once or twice in the last four seconds.

Job creation and economic growth dominate the November election in the U.S. — perhaps more than any election in history. Campaign ads for local, state and national candidates all promise jobs. The presidential election this year has become a referendum on who can breathe new life into our economy.

News Flash: Neither presidential candidate will succeed.

What if our unexamined assumptions about the need and possibility of perpetual economic growth are wrong? What if robust economic growth is our civilization’s way of driving off a cliff? What if the planet is incapable of supporting continued increase in global economic throughput? . . .

One year ago today world population quietly passed through the 7 billion mark. It was not treated as a major news item. I took note, because I had given up the previous 6 months of my life working night and day to finish the GrowthBusters documentary in time for an October 31 release. It seemed an appropriate occasion for the film’s premiere, and I genuinely thought the news media would be looking for unique angles to report on the world reaching this population milestone.

While our world premiere in Washington DC was standing room only, it turned out the world really didn’t much care. So today, on the one-year anniversary of that event, I expect nothing. This commentary may be all we see. Ambivalence about population growth is just one of the challenges preventing our society from addressing the perils of overpopulation. Local and national growth addiction play an important role. For many of us, however, our attitude about population growth springs from ignorance. So today I’ll address the most common myths about population growth: . . .

Vancouver’s young generation embraces higher density

News item: “Micro suites” planned for Vancouver-area development

Janet and Bob (pictured) of Vancouver, BC — a jurisdiction heralded around the world as “the model city” by planners and politicians from afar who drop in for two-day visit of wining , dining and smoozing — represent the new generation of Canadians with a “green” vision. The same vision as their “green” Mayor Gregor Robertson. It is the vision of a sustainable future where citizens willingly choose to live more simply so that more and more billions of people can simply live.

That means living “smaller” (and smaller and smaller and smaller). For many, like Janet and Bob who used to live as man and wife, it means living apart in separate cardboard 36 cubic foot boxes in order to save the planet and sustain Vancouver’s reputation as a “welcoming” city by making room for the unending parade of humanity wishing to make it their home. . . .

Today is a day like any other. The morning paper is on the front step. Traffic is backed up. Another ozone alert. Homebuilders are optimistic new home starts are on the rise. Too few jobs were created last month. Consumers didn’t spend as much as manufacturers and retailers hoped. A global slowdown is making tough times for mining companies. And U.S. presidential candidates promise they have the roadmap for a return to robust economic growth.

Turn on the radio on your way to work today, and – as routine as all the above sound – they will be discussed to the exclusion of the fact that today is Earth Overshoot Day. That’s a shame, because Overshoot Day has more relevance to your quality of life, and the lives of your children, than any of items occupying the pundits and newscasters. . . .