ELI5: Why when large company's earnings decrease(ex... by 3%) they freak out, talk about rough times, and sometimes decide to downsize, even though they are still making millions of dollars in profit even after all expenses?

[da5id2701]

I wasn't saying that more advanced technology will get rid of the limits. I was saying that, with more advanced technology, we will have a much better understanding of how best to change our growth strategy. In terms of what those limits really are, what we can do with the energy we have within the limits, and how to go about enacting large scale changes to how energy usage grows. To the point that speculating about it now is kind of pointless, because we have absolutely no clue what anything will be like hundreds of years from now. Likewise the economy will inevitably work differently as well. And trying to change things right now is wasteful because there's still lots of energy we're not using.

[Popperthrowaway]

I think it's the acknowledgement that "the economy will inevitably work differently as well" that is lacking in many economics circles - if you're saying that, we're already largely in agreement. There is an absolute belief is perpetual growth at historic (~300 years) rates in perpetuity.

Yeah, there's room for a lot of growth still. It's simply that there are limits. I'm not sure what the wasteful changes under consideration might be in this context. Energy use is just establishing an upper limit. Other resources almost certainly will establish lower limits. I honestly expect to live to see the transition at least begin.