Wasted World

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All systems produce waste as part of a cycle—bacteria, humans, combustion engines, and even cities. This waste can be absorbed, processed, or recycled, but never entirely eliminated. Rob Hengeveld reveals how human consumption has left our world overwhelmed by waste. This urgent work traces the intertwined histories of population growth and resource consumption. Hengeveld explains that human life relies not just on mineral resources but also on energy, initially sourced from food and later supplemented by water, wind, and animals as needs grew. Ultimately, we turned to fossil energy, which generates atmospheric waste that significantly drives climate change. The consequences of this change are already manifesting as food shortages and social collapse in various regions. Hengeveld argues that these issues are interconnected; addressing individual problems is insufficient. We must confront their common cause—our staggering population growth. While many scientists recognize population growth as a critical environmental issue, Hengeveld uniquely emphasizes the waste it generates and the rising demands of our global society. Offering a practical view of sustainability from a biologist's perspective, this work presents a comprehensive picture of energy and resource use, waste, and exhaustion, while elucidating the complexities of our current global state and suggesting a path forward.