This page explores two cases: the Colonist influence on the New England landscape and the Industrial Beef system. These are important cases because they offer a closer look at the challenges associated with balancing sustainability and environmental protection with economic prosperity and equality.
The map below, “Colonialism’s Effect on Resilience”, explores the colonial impact on the New England system. The most important lessons to be learned from this case is that when local knowledge about a natural system is ignored, environmental thresholds are more likely to be crossed. Additionally, another important lesson is that the introduction of capitalism was crucial in the degradation of the New England land and its resources. The ecology section in the bottom half of the map is centred around the adaptive cycle: a symbol used to explore the dynamics of ecosystems. The Exploitation and Conservation phase feature patterns of growth and accumulation. Humans typically try to extend this part of the cycle in order to maximize prosperity. The Release and Reorganization phase are characterized by redistribution of resources.
This map is predominantly based on: Cronon, W. (2011). Changes in the land: Indians, colonists, and the ecology of New England. Hill and Wang.
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This map reflects ideas expressed about the industrial beef system by Dauvergne in “Shadows of Consumption”. This case is especially interesting because it features externalities and disconnects, which are key concepts associated with many environmental problems. In this case, there are severe externalities (like deforestation, land grabs, etc) associated with beef production. These externalities are disproportionately felt by the poor. Similar to the colonial map, this map points to capitalism as one the causes of environmental degradation.