University of Montana professor Steve Running warns that earth may run out of plants

Humans may be very close to extracting all of the Earth’s available plant resources, says a University of Montana researcher.

"Endless economic growth and endless consumptive growth of the planet just can’t happen," Running said. "And that the sooner we start getting realistic expectations for the future, the better we can manage ourselves to effectively use the planetary resources in a sustainable way."

In fact, said Steven Running http://www.cfc.umt.edu/Personnel/Details.php?ID=1139 , a professor in the university’s College of Forestry and Conservation, humanity may realistically have only 10 percent or so of our planet’s annual plant resources in reserve, with little ability to boost yearly growth. The calculations don’t suggest that humanity is on the verge of starvation, Running said, but they do indicate there are limits to our species’ growth.

By Stephanie Pappas

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