Commonwealth Club Of California Podcast

Nearly every headline seems to warn of new crises, deepening divides or threats to the planet. Yet a very different story emerges when you widen the lens.  A new book, A Century of Plenty, takes a longer, historical and more hopeful view. Over the past 100 years, humans have made unprecedented progress, from longer lifespans to dramatically reduced poverty: “On average, people now live 40 years longer than they did. From Lagos to London, economic growth has hauled billions of people out of poverty and empowered them to lead rewarding lives.” The forthcoming book, by researchers at the McKinsey Global Institute, examines what powered the “progress machine” of the last century, while acknowledging that the gains were inconsistent and not shared equally. What would it take for all countries in the world to achieve the standard of living of, say, Switzerland by 2100? For one thing, the global economy would have to grow to eight times the size it is today. Is this realistic? Will the world have enough energy, food