Economics, a zero sum game?

I read this quote from Science Czar John Holdren last night. In case you aren't familiar with Holdren, he is one spooky dude. He's written in favor of forced abortions and sterilization (even going so far as putting sterilants in the drinking water). He's also in favor of global governance. Go look him up.

Anyway, he said:

"I think ultimately that the rate of growth of material consumption is going to have to come down, and there’s going to have to be a degree of redistribution of how much we consume, in terms of energy and material resources, in order to leave room for people who are poor to become more prosperous."

This triggered my thoughts to something I'd read recently in A Patriot's History of the United States.