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Re:Americans Are Using Less Steel, Paper, Fertilizer, and En... by JackFr on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @04:31PM (#21207691)
Your point is well taken, insofar as manufactured goods, but does not explain the decline in agricultural and construction inputs. In agriculture we're (currently) a net exporter and construction is non-traded.
Re:Americans Are Using Less Steel, Paper, Fertilizer, and En... by vannevar on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @04:50PM (#21207892)
There certainly may be industries where real dematerialization is taking place, and the author of the article would've been better off sticking with those. Instead the article makes sweeping, unsubstantiated claims across the entire economy that just aren't credible.
Re:Americans Are Using Less Steel, Paper, Fertilizer, and En... by anon1m0us on Wednesday October 09, 2019 @04:42PM (#21207823)
Decades of optimization. Fertilizers sold by the pound are purer now than before -- more refined. GMO makes crops immune to many pests and diseases. Cross breeding with drought tolerant crops reduces water requirements.

Technology like Hydroponics also reduces consumption while increasing output.

Computer aided design helps with construction.

It's all there.

This is part of why R. Buckminster Fuller thought there was more than enough to go around.