Economists vs Ecologists, moderated by Matt Ridley, who wears both hats.
Economists ... What frustrates them
about ecologists is the latter's tendency to think in terms of static
limits. Ecologists can't seem to see that when whale oil starts to run
out, petroleum is discovered, or that when farm yields flatten,
fertilizer comes along, or that when glass fiber is invented, demand for
copper falls.
That frustration is heartily reciprocated.
Ecologists think that economists espouse a sort of superstitious magic
called "markets" or "prices" to avoid confronting the reality of limits
to growth. The easiest way to raise a cheer in a conference of
ecologists is to make a rude joke about economists.
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