Main idea

The book claims that rich countries can now generate economic growth and improve quality of life while consuming fewer resources than we did earlier, and uses compelling data to back up that claim.

My main takeaways were:

1. There are 4 forces encouraging dematerialization in rich countries – technological progress, market forces (specifically, reducing costs by making from less), consumer demand for "greener" products, responsive regulations
2. Technology and markets are indifferent to externalities. This is why shaping consumer preferences and regulating effectively are important
3. Historically, Malthus was right. From the 13th to 16th centuries, wages well in England when population rose. This only changed after the Industrial revolution – and the other revolutions (Green, Electricity, Health) that followed
4. The Industrial Revolution had many negative externalities – pollution, colonialism, animal slaughter, and more
5. Americans are now consuming fewer resources in general — both per capita and in total (electricity, coal, and more). This is dematerialization. Cement and building materials are still likely flat or increasing. But we are definitely post peak in paper and timber use
6. Dematerialization is being caused by markets and marvels (inventions). It is driven by massive productivity improvements, as well as the technological/consumer doctrines of Slim, Swap, Optimize, and Evaporate

The parts showing how resource consumption has decreased in rich countries and how technology is untethering economic growth from physical resources were great

I didn’t find the sociopolitical analysis as useful. Would’ve also liked to see more discussion of virtual worlds and their implications for dematerialized growth

Chapters 1-4

Historically, Malthus was right. Wages in England tended to fall as populations rose until 1600 or so

But the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century changed this. The steam engine and other technologies allowed us to make use of the enormous amounts of energy stored in fossil fuels. Previous limits to growth were eliminated as we put this power to use, and around the world human population and prosperity increased like never before.

However, the Industrial Era was hard on our world. We extracted ever-more resources from it, hunted many species to the brink of extinction or beyond, and greatly polluted the air, land, and water. As human population continued to increase these harms continued to accumulate, until many came to believe that our species was a grave threat to our planet. The first Earth Day, held in 1970, gave voice to these concerns.