This seems an obvious and commonsense conclusion: if we insist on growing the economy indefinitely within finite limits (we have one planet), we'll eventually hit the limits, and there will be a crash.

But instead of taking our foot off the accelerator, much less applying the brakes, we are pressing down ever more. Expand the airport! Ship coal! Expand the urban footprint!

It would be one thing if this growth made us more prosperous or happier, but it does not. The cost of growth shows up in a decline in the quality of life for all but a very few, and research on happiness (subjective well-being) shows a decline in U.S. happiness over the last 40 years.

We know where we're heading. We know it from the science, from the politics, from driving the Guide, and we know it in our hearts. We've been borrowing from the future. And we purport to care deeply about our children and grandchildren. If we continue on as we have been going, what will they inherit?

Daniel Warner

Bellingham