To understand and take action towards sustainability in the future, we must first look at sustainability, or the lack of, in the past. On this page, we will examine two case studies that show the development of sustainability in the United States over time.
Case Study 1: This case study looks at the work of William Cronon, which highlights the changes in the environment and the social changes of the lives of Indigenous peoples during the colonial conquest of the United States.
Case Study 2: This case study looks at the work of Peter Dauvergne, which looks at the growth of the automobile in the United States and globally. It shows drastic changes to the environment and the scramble to try and reverse the damages done by automobile pollution.
Important Maps of Concepts:
Concept 1: Feedback loop of Change
Concept 2: Adaptive Cycles
Rapid Growth: Accumulation of wealth and resources with no long-term concerns.
Conservation: Continuing of the Rapid Growth stage, but for a longer period of time.
Release: When the current system begins to fail: scarcity of resources, not enough money, political unrest, etc.
Reorganization: Rethinking the current system and creating a new system that is more sustainable.
Concept 3: Movement within Adaptive Cycles
Concept 4: Thresholds and Basins
Threshold: The point where a regime shifts from one basin to another. This takes a jolt or certain event to push the regime into a new basin.
Concept 5: Relationship of Adaptive Cycles and Thresholds
After reading both of the historical case studies about less sustainable systems and looking over the important maps and concepts, check out Envisioning the Future to see how we can start moving towards a more sustainable society.
Or go back and reassess your worldview!
References: 8. Walker and Salt