The Myth of Endless Growth – A Planetary Paradox  

Herold van den Berg, September 2025 

Introduction 

Economic growth forms the foundation of nearly all modern societies. Governments measure success by rising GDP figures, companies pursue continuous expansion, and global institutions equate development with growth. Yet this relentless pursuit of “more” increasingly collides with the physical limits of our planet. This essay explores economic growth as a global paradox: a system that promises prosperity but delivers depletion. Can humanity continue to grow without undermining itself? 

The Logic of Growth as a Global Structure 

Since the Industrial Revolution, economic growth has evolved from a model into an ideology. The notion that progress equals quantitative increase—in production, consumption, and population—is deeply embedded in policy, education, and culture. International institutions such as the IMF and World Bank promote growth as the solution to poverty, instability, and underdevelopment. 

Yet this logic is fundamentally flawed. The Earth has ecological boundaries: resources are finite, ecosystems are fragile, and the atmosphere is saturated with greenhouse gases. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality are not side effects—they are direct consequences of a growth model without restraint. 

The Gulf Stream: A Tipping Point Beyond the Economic Horizon 

One of the most alarming signs of planetary overload is the weakening of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), of which the Gulf Stream is a crucial part. This ocean current regulates the climate in Europe, North America, and parts of Africa. As the Greenland ice sheet melts, increasing volumes of freshwater disrupt the sinking of warm, salty water—threatening the very mechanism that drives the circulation. Scientists warn that the AMOC is approaching an irreversible tipping point. 

Consequences of Collapse 

• Severely cold winters in Europe
• Accelerated sea level rise along the U.S. East Coast
• Disrupted monsoon systems in Africa and Asia
• Massive disturbances in agriculture and food security

This threat is not an abstract climate projection, but a direct undermining of the stability on which the growth model depends. Economies reliant on predictable seasons, fertile soils, and stable infrastructure will face chaos. The Gulf Stream thus acts as a natural gatekeeper—a system warning humanity that its expansion is not without consequence. 

Philosophical Analysis: Growth as a Moral Dilemma 

The utilitarian approach—the greatest happiness for the greatest number—seems to justify growth. But if that happiness comes at the expense of future generations, is it ethically defensible? Kant’s deontological ethics argue that people must never be used merely as a means. Yet the growth model treats future humans as collateral for present-day prosperity. 

Michel Foucault’s concept of biopolitics reveals how states use economic growth to exert control over bodies, behaviour, and life rhythms. Growth is not neutral—it is a form of power. Kate Raworth’s donut economics offers an alternative: a model in which humanity operates within ecological boundaries while striving for social justice. 

The looming collapse of the Gulf Stream intensifies this philosophical urgency. It is tangible proof that planetary systems are fragile—and that humanity must rethink its economic logic. 

Humanity as a Collective Actor 

The idea that climate solutions begin with small, individual actions is well-intentioned but insufficient. The challenge is not personal—it is systemic. Humanity as a whole faces a moral choice: continue clinging to a growth model that drives ecological and social instability, or transition to an economy of sufficiency. This demands global cooperation, a redefinition of success, and a cultural shift from “more” to “better.” 

Technological innovation alone will not save us. Without a fundamental revision of our values and structures, growth remains a destructive force. The question is not whether we can keep growing—but whether we should even want to. 

Conclusion 

Economic growth is not a law of nature—it is a human invention. As such, it can be revised, reformed, or even abandoned. Humanity stands at a crossroads: will we continue down the path of quantitative expansion, or dare to chart a new course where well-being, sustainability, and justice take centre stage? 

The impending collapse of the Gulf Stream is a planetary warning. It shows that Earth is not passive—it actively responds to human overload. If we lose the Gulf Stream, we lose more than an ocean current: we lose the balance on which our civilization depends. 

“A system that can only live by growing will die the moment it must stand still.”