Just say “NO.” Some approaches to “abundance” are healthy, but one brand of abundance that’s been capturing the cultural moment lately is a recipe for a dead planet. Dave and Stephanie assess key points made by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson in their book, Abundance. The result, a sound thrashing. The authors believe “America needs to build and invent more of the things it needs.” They advocate eliminating regulatory barriers that are keeping us from getting more, faster. Conservation and environmental stewardship are not on the agenda.
Klein is a columnist for The New York Times and host of The Ezra Klein Show. Derek is a writer at The Atlantic and host of the Plain English podcast. They lean left, so many are suggesting the Democratic party should adopt “the abundance agenda” as it remakes itself in the wake of 2024 electoral defeat. In this episode, we make the case against that. We’re not alone. Among the links we provide below are some additional thoughtful and articulate critiques of the book and agenda.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Economic Wisdom from the Natural World: The Serviceberry – episode 92 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/serviceberry/
Abundance – by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176444106-abundance
The Elite’s Fixation with Low Birth Rates – Overshoot podcast episode with Samuel Miller McDonald
https://www.populationbalance.org/podcast/samuel-miller-mcdonald
An Abundance of Concrete – by Ben Goldfarb
https://defector.com/an-abundance-of-concrete
Colorado Matters episode with Ben Goldfarb
https://www.cpr.org/2025/06/27/interview-ben-goldfarb-state-of-conservation/
Bezos: We’re Going to Need Another Planet – episode 89 of the GrowthBusters podcast
https://www.growthbusters.org/bezos-need-another-planet/
On Abundance - by The Last Farm
https://www.resilience.org/stories/2025-07-16/on-abundance
(Note: a good critique of “abundance” but a narrow solution. It’s a good part of the solution, but not complete.)
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On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host, and self-described "energy nerd," Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
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