DOI
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Summary
The Limits to Growth (LTG) reported that global ecological constraints (related to resource use and emissions) would have significant influence on global developments in the twenty-first century. LTG warned that humanity might have to divert much capital and manpower to battle these constraints -possibly so much that the average quality of life would decline sometime during the twenty-first century. The book did not specify exactly what resource scarcity or what emission type might end growth by requiring more capital than was available – simply because such detailed predictions can not be made on a scientific basis in the huge and complex population-economy- environment system that constitutes our world.
The 12 scenarios in LTG illustrate how growth in population and natural resource use interacts with a variety of limits. In reality limits to growth appears in many forms. In the analysis the team behind the book focused principally on the planet´s physical limits, in the form of depletable natural resources and the finite capacity of Earth to absorb emissions form industry and agriculture. In every realistic scenario the team found that these limits force an end to physical growth. The scenarios were built on a system dynamics model called “World 3”.

Relevance for Complex Systems Knowledge
The Limits to Growth was one the first attempt to use system (dynamics) modelling to socio-ecological coupled systems. The book caused both political and scientific debates, and debates that bridged over the two domains (i.e “Models of Doom”). The system dynamic model called World 3 was built on 150 equations in which parameters could be changed to create different scenarios. The book describes both the foundations for the model and the outcome of different assumptions. Selected chapters can be used to illustrate basis for systems dynamics and for discussions on outcomes. A common question related to the book is if the authors were right in hindsight, and the responses vary as much as the critique to the book when it was first released.

Point of Strength
This book is seminal for thinking on socio-ecological systems, for the followers and the antagonists as well. Student needs to know about its strengths and shortcomings, and the debate it has caused and still causes. Apart from this there are very concrete examples of how to think in systems and on the counter-intuitive outcomes of processes.