Imagine an industry that runs out of raw materials. Companies go bankrupt, workers are laid off, families suffer and associated organizations are thrown into turmoil. Eventually, governments are forced to take drastic action. Welcome to global banking, recently brought to its knees by the interruption of its lifeblood – the flow of cash. In this case, we seem to have been fortunate. In the nick of time, governments released reserves in order to start cash circulating again. But what if the reserves had not been there? What are we going to do when our supplies of vital materials such as fish, tropical hardwoods, metals like indium and fresh water dry up? We live on a planet with finite resources – that is no surprise to anyone – so why do we have an economic system in which all that matters is growth – more growth means using more resources. When the human population was counted in millions and resources were sparse, people could simply move to new pastures. However, with 9 billion people expected around 2050, moving on is not an option. As politicians reconstruct the global economy, they should take heed. If we are to leave any kind of planet to our children, we need an economic system that lets us live within our means.