No matter how hard you try you can’t have exponential growth on a finite planet.
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Our planet’s population growth is no longer exponential. In fact, the world’s population is increasing at a decreasing rate (in calculus terms, a positive first derivative and a negative second derivative). See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:World_population_(UN).svg
Therefore, as long as productivity increases (that is, we’re becoming more efficient with each human and each unit of resource), the population can increase and standards of living can rise. Basically, human history is one of increasing efficiency and adaptation.
There will always be occasional disruptions in supply and demand for certain resources (see oil, most recently), but humans adapt… eventually.
I don’t know why that’s so hard to grasp. While I’m bearish, I’m not a hardened pessimist. My concern isn’t population growth and resources, it’s that we blow each other up.
