TIME
PRODUCTION OUTPUT
ECOSYSTEM BOUNDARY
RESOURCE GROWS SCARCE
Each unit harvested costs
more to reach
OVERSHOOT
TAKING MORE THAN IS
RETURNED
Extraction costs outrun returns;
net returns turn negative
EXTRACTIVE
DOING MORE WITH LESS
Efficiency gains from
technology
DIMINISHING RETURNS
Each technical gain
produces less
CARRYING CAPACITY
Output matches the rate
of input
DIMINISHING OUTPUTS
Efficiency slows the drawdown,
but the stock keeps shrinking
FRAGILE DEPENDENCE
Output depends on the land’s
regrowth rate
SUSTAINABLE
TIME BOUGHT