The impossible Hamster (and economic growth)

What the impossible hamster has to teach us about economic growth. A new animation from nef (the new economics foundation), scripted by Andrew Simms, numbers crunched by Viki Johnson and pictures realised by Leo Murray.

www.neweconomics.org
www.onehundredmonths.org
www.wakeupfreakout.org
www.impossiblehamster.org

We wanted to confront people with the meaning and logical conclusion of the promise of endless economic growth. We used a hamster to illustrate what would happen if there were no limits to growth because they double in size each week before reaching maturity at around 6 weeks. But if a hamster grew at the same rate until its first birthday, wed be looking at a nine billion tonne hamster, which ate more than a years worth of world maize production every day. There are reasons in nature, why things dont grow indefinitely. As things are in nature, sooner or later, so they must be in the economy. As economic growth rises, we are pushing the planet ever closer to, and beyond some very real environmental limits. With every doubling in the global economy we use the equivalent in resources of all of the previous doublings combined.

Concept, script and narration: Andrew Simms
Animation: Leo Murray & Thomas Bristow
Sound: Louis Slipperz
Scientific Adviser: Victoria Johnson

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• economic
• growth
• undercurrents
• hamster
• pet
• gobalisation
• sustainability

[flyingtoothpaste]

@zbox720 'if' :)

[Kingofcats9010]

Thats me in a hundred years

[zbox720]

Economic growth can continue with better usage of earth's resources and a growing population. If we ever manage to start galactic exploration and colonies then economic growth could continue forever.

[bidoofidous]

This has to be the worst possible explaination of Economic Growth I have ever seen... thanks for your help :( (ps the hamster was cute though (>_<)

[TheCrimsonification]

Fat fucking rodent. Really fat fucker. Fer real .............FAT!!

[GazGuitarz]

joeyxdope 1 - What is......'a free economy'? One without chains? There is no such beast.

[symbal777]

@joeyxdope wow joey, you just brightened my day... fucking downer

[SamuliGloersen]

Growth of economy is not comparable to growth in mass rather growth in mass * velocity. All mass is in existence. The faster the existing mass circulates the more the economy grows. In other words as that hamster grows bigger and bigger it should also move the mass it accumulates as fast as two smaller hamsters would. But it wont.

In other words: bigger the hamster, the slower the mass and the smaller the economy! That hamster represents a planned soviet style economy - not a free one.

[joeyxdope]

we live in a world where we trade green paper for mechanical touchscreen toys that display cat videos at the touch of a finger. emotions are manufactured and everything dies. life is nothing but a rat race into a pit of fire. sometimes i feel like spending my green paper on a revolver and a bullet and blowing my worthless brains out of my worthless head out onto the worthless pavement. the only thing saving me from death are the few people i love. other than that, nothing is worth arguing.

[bisbeejim1]

Please name the economist and politician who believes this way.