Last Call

Last Call examines the predictions and impact of one of the most important and controversial environmental books of all time, The Limits to Growth, published four decades ago. In 1972, the publication of the book shook the world, selling 30 million copies in 30 languages, and marked a turning point in thinking about the environment. Prepared for the Club of Rome, the book was based on the work of a team of young scientists from MIT who created the first computer model to analyze the interaction over time of exponential growth with finite natural resources. Their primary message was that the human footprint, if unchecked, would grow beyond the carrying capacity of the planet on a sustainable basis. They concluded that humanity must adapt to the planet’s limits or risk overshoot, which could result in the collapse of global support systems and human decline. Their conclusions stimulated broad interest and significant debate, but not much action on their scenario for avoiding overshoot. Four decades later, the surviving authors of The Limits to Growth and the book’s mentors gathered to assess their earlier predictions, update where we stand today, and present what we need to do now to avoid global ecological collapse in the next few decades. Supported by archival footage and other materials, Last Call provides provocative insights into the fundamental reasons behind the ongoing global ecological and economic crises, and a vision of a more hopeful future, if we commit to appropriate measures before it’s too late.