What in the world is happening to this fragile planet Earth?
The situation has become so bad that Jeremy Grantham, one of the most respected global investors with $100 billion under management, warns that "our global economy, reckless in its use of all resources and natural systems, shows many of the indicators of potential failure that brought down so many civilizations before ours."
He sees just two optimistic factors that could save the planet: declining fertility rates that on present trends may lead to the global population falling from a peak of just over 8 billion in 2045 to almost 6 billion by 2100; and progress in alternative energy. (Note: The United Nations has not yet picked up on the declining fertility and sees global population rising to 11 billion.)