Limits to Growth

The World3 model is a system dynamics model for computer simulation of interactions between population, industrial growth, food production and limits in the ecosystems of the earth. It was originally produced and used by a Club of Rome study that produced the model and the book The Limits to Growth. wikipedia

The Limits to Growth was published in 1972 and predicted global decline from 2020. Researchers fed in huge amounts of data on population, pollution, industrialisation, food production and resources. They found that if the trends continued, the result would be a sudden and uncontrollable downturn beginning around 2020. Claire Bowes hears from one of the authors of the book, Professor Dennis Meadows. bbc

Jay Forrester was the founder of system dynamics, which deals with the simulation of interactions between objects in dynamic systems. Industrial Dynamics was the first book Forrester wrote using system dynamics to analyze industrial business cycles. Several years later, interactions with former Boston Mayor John F. Collins led Forrester to write Urban Dynamics, which sparked an ongoing debate on the feasibility of modeling broader social problems. wikipedia

DYNAMO (DYNAmic MOdels) is a historically important simulation language and accompanying graphical notation developed within the system dynamics analytical framework. It was originally for industrial dynamics but was soon extended to other applications, including population and resource studies and urban planning. wikipedia

See Solutions to Growth via AAAS private chat.

I was handed a copy of this small volume in the hallway of the datacenter while an undergraduate in the '70s. It has had a life-long impact. I recognized then that the model was unable to make any prediction past a variable inflection. But I did think that I had a fair chance to see what happens.

Mick Ashby says, "We are privileged to live in these exciting times" See Tenth Requisite