(Un)flatten the curve: A simple model of sink capacity

Abstract

The ongoing COIVD19 pandemic has brought public attention to exponential growth dynamics. “Flatten the curve” has become the clarion call of public health systems around the world struggling to cope with the burgeoning pandemic. Can ecological economists use this “meme moment” to bring exponential growth into the public discourse on sustainability? We present a modest proposal rooted in the elementary arithmetic of exponential growth. Our proposal calls for thinking about resilient and sustainable societies as an “(un)flatten the curve” exercise.