How do we open the space of possibilities for humanity to decide on its course? This was the main question addressed by the 1972 The Limits to Growth report to the
Club of Rome. For the first time, a team of researchers led by Donella and Dennis Meadows created a computerised
simulation of multiple scenarios for the future based on the global evolution of population, natural resources, food production, industrial output and pollution. Most though not all the scenarios showed a high probability of a collapse of human civilisations during the first half of the 21st century.