Many economists accept that a ‘Spaceship Earth’

characterisation of the global economy is valid in the final analysis, but would dispute a claim that we are currently close to a point at which it is necessary to manage the economy according to strict principles of physical sustainability.

On the contrary, they would argue that urgent problems of malnutrition and poverty dominate our current agenda, and the solution to these is more worthy of being our immediate objective.

The objective of physically sustainable management must be attained eventually, but is not an immediate objective that should be pursued to the exclusion of all else.

To what extent do you regard this as being a valid argument?