The Montreal Gazette quoted William Rees, a professor emeritus at UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning, who spoke at the AquaHacking 2016 Summit.
The annual conference brings together several hundred water experts, technological experts, decision-makers and citizens to find solutions for protecting waterways.
“We have become a parasite on the planet. We are growing by consuming the host. Now any economist should recognize that growth provides benefits, but the benefits, the marginal utility of growth, declines over time. In the meantime the costs are increasing, the costs of pollution, soil erosion, depletion,” Rees said.
