It’s a bit challenging to decide whether Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe belongs on the Wall of Shame or the Wall of Fame this week. His recent comments accepting Japan’s shrinking population – in the end – are dramatic enough that they outweigh his obvious worship of economic growth.

While the news isn’t good, I’m not going to kill the messenger. In fact, I’m going to heap a lot of praise on Jason Hickel for writing what is too seldom communicated about climate change:

Clean Energy Won’t Save Us – Only a New Economic System Can

My mother recently brought to my attention a smart comment by Parade magazine columnist Marilyn vos Savant. She was asked by John Stroot of Camarillo, California, “In a thousand years, people will look back on our society and say whether we were a success or not. If you were one of those people, what do you think you might say?”

I’d like to thank New York Times’ senior economics correspondent Neil Irwin for acknowledging a few days ago that:

We’re in a Low-Growth World. How Did We Get Here?

Yes, we are in a low-growth world. That’s because we are in a post-growth world! Unfortunately, I don’t think Irwin gets that, as he went on to characterize history-making slow growth rates as a problem to be solved,

Warren Buffett makes the Wall of Shame today for – apparently – failing to understand limits to growth. One would hope such a smart and successful businessperson would be aware that the wealth “creation” of the last 80 years has come at a very heavy price on our ecosystems and natural resources, and cannot possibly continue.