Welcome to the Mordor Economy, where ever more energy, extraction and environmental destruction are required just to keep the economic machine running.
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Inspired by the work of systems thinker @natehagens, this brilliant comic by @bruce_mahalski draws a disturbing parallel between our growth-dependent economy and the industrial wasteland of Mordor in The Lord of the Rings.
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Just as Sauron’s armies depended on exploiting Middle-earth’s resources, and Saruman cut down the forests of Isengard to fuel his war machine, our economy increasingly consumes the natural world to sustain its own expansion.
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Hagens explains this through Energy Return on Investment (EROI), the amount of energy obtained relative to the energy required to produce it.
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Historically, abundant fossil fuels delivered enormous energy surpluses. But as easily accessible resources are depleted, extracting, processing and delivering energy can require increasingly large investments of energy and materials.
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As EROI declines, more of society’s energy must be reinvested simply to obtain the next supply, leaving less available for hospitals, schools, infrastructure and improving human wellbeing.
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Hagens warns that this creates a vicious cycle: an economy increasingly devoted to powering itself, while mounting ecological damage demands still more resources for remediation.
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GDP may continue growing even as the net benefits to society diminish. More economic activity does not necessarily mean better lives.
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Meanwhile, the living world pays the price through habitat destruction, pollution, resource depletion and climate breakdown.
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Perhaps it’s time to stop feeding the machine and form our own fellowship, building an economy that serves life rather than destroying it.
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The goal must be a good life for everyone within planetary boundaries, not endless growth on a finite planet.
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Artwork: @brucemahalski
Inspired by: @natehagens