Since industrial output is growing at 7 percent per year and population only at 2 percent per year, it might appearthat dominant positive feedback loops are a cause for rejoicing. Simple extrapolation of those growth rates would suggest that the material standard of living of the world's people will double within the next 14 years. Such a conclusion, however,often includes the implicit assumption that the world's growing industrial output is evenly distributed among the world'scitizens. The fallacy of this assumption can be appreciated when the per capita economic growth rates of some individualnations are examined (see figure 7).