As banks and markets crash, what can science do to reshape economics and make it fit for a finite world?

“Economists see no limits to growth – ever” (Graph: Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York)

THE graphs climbing across these pages (see graph in detail, or explore the data) are a stark reminder of the crisis facing our planet. Consumption of resources is rising rapidly, biodiversity is plummeting and just about every measure shows humans affecting Earth on a vast scale. Most of us accept the need for a more sustainable way to live, by reducing carbon emissions, developing renewable technology and increasing energy efficiency.

But are these efforts to save the planet doomed? A growing band of experts are looking at …