http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2005/05/25/why-is-capitalism-facing-challenges-right-now Comments for "Why is Capitalism Facing Challenges Right Now?" en http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2005/05/25/why-is-capitalism-facing-challenges-right-now <p>Thanks for the introduction Al. I'll be answering a series of eight questions over the coming week, and would be interested in hearing any comments or questions that readers may have. To start, I'll talk a little bit about why capitalism is at a crossroads.</p><p><strong><em>Q. Why is capitalism facing challenges right now? Is this time period very different from previous history?</em></strong></p><p>Think of it this way: In my lifetime alone, the human population has ballooned from about 2 billion to more than 6.5 billion. If I live to a ripe old age, I could easily see 8 billion or more people on the planet. Thus, in a single lifetime, the human population will have grown from 2 billion to more than 8 billion. This growth is truly unprecedented. Never before in human history has a single generation witnessed such explosive change. Combine this population growth with humans’ insatiable use of resources and you have global impact of truly epic proportions. Indeed, every major living system on the planet is now either overused or in decline—fisheries, forests, soils, watersheds, and atmosphere, just to name a few. Yet, with only 800 million of the wealthiest people accounting for well over three-quarters of the current resource use, the impacts could multiply further if the 4-5 billion poor emulate the development path of the rich.</p><br class="clear" /><p><a href="http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2005/05/25/why-is-capitalism-facing-challenges-right-now">read more</a></p> http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2005/05/25/why-is-capitalism-facing-challenges-right-now#comment Strategy Wed, 25 May 2005 15:51:19 -0400 _Stuart Hart 451 at http://www.nextbillion.net