Unsustainable Future: The Mathematical Frame in Which We Live

Humankind, it can be argued, lives beyond its means and often at the expense of future generations. This paper starkly demonstrates, with the aid of a mathemat- ical model, the imperative for a sustainable existence. In the model, consumption of resources is represented as a closed system, just like our planet. Long-term survival is only possible if consumption is below the ability of the system to regenerate.