Human interaction and impact on the environment has many dimensions
- population
- resource consumption
- waste production and pollution
- employment of appropriate technologies
- social aspects of resource, population and technology
Impact may depend on the state of human/natural environment
3 states related to overall health
1. weak or sick states - small stress may continue a downward spiral
- positive feedback (vicious cycle) that destroys integrity of the human-environment system
- may need "surgery", major intervention
2. several types of stable state
| stable |
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| metastable |
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| edge of threshold |
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- may use treatment or therapy to maintain these states or improve slightly
3. improving, positive developing system
- positive contribution to one component may lead to general improvements
- state is resilient to some impacts
- some stresses may actually increase the overall health
(like physical training)
- like how intermediate disturbances in forests help increase diversity and protect against catastrophic fires
Sick systems need remediation
- just as sick humans might have to have special intense care to recover
- the methods that you use to cure a sick system aren't necessarily the same as to improve and develop the condition of the human-environment state
Engagement in messy and authentic problems can "save the world"
- protecting healthy systems from being degraded
- contribute to pushing developing systems toward even healthier states
- many small forces self-organize to create an improved human-environment state
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