ABSTRACT
Most environmental advocates probably do understand the benefits of technology, progress, and economic growth, but their attention is directed to different concerns. Many of those in the forecasting profession, whether working for private business or for government, are very likely pro-growth economists. There is the view among pro-growth advocates that humans are surprisingly adaptable and that our species has proven over thousands of years that it is capable of making appropriate change when change is warranted. Environmentalists are angered by worldwide pollution in such forms as oil spills and acid rain and also by the growing lists of extinct or endangered species of animals and plants. A final point from pro-growth economists is that it is much easier to deal with pollution in a growing economy; cleaning up the environment will be expensive, and the additional resources must come from somewhere.
