Environmental Book History and the Reception of The Limits to Growth

 

In 1972, the authors of The Limits to Growth launched a worldwide debate by asserting that continued overuse of the earth’s resources would likely lead to environmental and economic collapse. Environmental scientists, policy makers, and economists have critiqued the authors’ assumptions and methods; from the book historian’s perspective, their work constitutes one form  of reception. In this talk, Knott explores how bibliometric methods can be used to uncover additional aspects of the reception of Limits.