Peter_deT t1_itsnooo wrote on October 26, 2022 at 12:30 AM

Reply to comment by kanated in Eli5: I don't understand why there seems to be a general consensus that gdp will continue a trend of growth, and why this would be beneficial, considering the cyclical nature of economies and empires rising and falling. Isn't economic downturn on some level unavoidable or even beneficial? by candymannequin

Loss of soil quality (topsoil loss, deforestation, erosion, salinity) was a major contributing factor to the decline of Rome, the Abbasids and probably a few others. So ecology matters.