50th Anniversary of The Limits to Growth—What has the EU learned and where do we go from here?

Roundtable event with i.a. Dennis Meadows, Robert Costanza, Kate Raworth, Ida Kubiszewski, Maja Göpel and Tim Jackson
June 2022

2022 marks the 50th anniversary of The Limits to Growth report from the Club of Rome. It articulated for the first time the dynamic nature of our dependency on physical resources and on ecological systems. It illustrated the processes of ‘overshoot and collapse’ that can occur when these limits are approached and suggested that, without a shift in direction, adverse consequences would become obvious “within the next century”. The report attracted fierce controversy at the time and inspired generations of environmental and social thinkers. It emphasised the need for rethinking growth on a finite planet and for greater systems thinking and non-linear economic models.

This event in Brussels on 14 June 2022 is contributing to the theme of post-growth thinking within the EU institutions and across EU Member States, aiming for a renewed focus on wellbeing in times of crisis through policy implementation at the EU and Member State levels.

Opened by the Vice President of the European Parliament, Heidi Hautala and Co-President of the Club of Rome, Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Dennis Meadows—one of the authors of the 1972 study—joins other distinguished economic thought leaders and members of the Club of Rome including Robert Costanza, Kate Raworth, and Tim Jackson.

Further Reading