references/notes/odum-odum-2001.html

Odum, Howard T. and Elisabeth C. Odum. 2001. A prosperous way down: principles and policies. University of Colorado Press. Boulder, CO. TJ 163 .O38

Outline

A. Ecosystems partition the energy and material flow into partitions

• primary producers
• consumers
• decomposers
• higher functions control quantity and quality of the lower levels

B. self-organizing systems

• create energy transformation hierarchies
• develop processes that lead to maximum power (energy per time)
• organize the rate of reactions to adjust the power
  • power is highest at a middle level of loading
• operate at many scales simultaneously

C. in these systems that self-organize

• that have a history, are multiscale, and are robust
• there is "pulsing"
• not steady state or slow growth

D. Pulsing in a natural system

• primary consumer
• predator
• recycling pool of nutrients

stages in pulsing

Notes

preface xiv - major points - quoting

• "human society follows general principles
• growth is but a stage in a resource cycle
• the policy that works depends on the stage in the cycle
• the next stage is economic descent; and
• the descent stage can be prosperous."

pg 3 - human society should be able to decrease its population and energy use by reorganization. It needs to retain important information.

pg 5 this explanation comes from study of self-organizing complex systems

pg 16 - change in economic producitivity might not indicate any improvement, people moving to the cities have to pay for things they would have obtained for free, high finance of stock trading, etc. doesn't improve peoples condition either

pg 29 - warnings of turndown are treated like the boy who cried "wolf"

there are many treatments of history, society, energy, and computer models that show that a turndown is possible, or even probable

some of these are cycles (such as economic cycles and depression)

some are related to broad stages of civilization (Toynbee)

some people are looking for steady states and others are looking for very slow growth

descriptions of the types of transistions

Fritjof Capra - disintegration of patriarcy, transition to solar, holistic view

Richard Adams - triggers for change, viable society keeps the cost of these triggers low - allows for changes

pg 65 - energy and materials into a system aren't processed by homogeneous "processors"

compartments (primary producers, herbivores, carnivores, detritus feeders, decomposers)

each level requires more energy flow from below, but it also contributes structure to the system

for example fish control quantity and quality of zooplankton

"self organization creates an energy transformation hierarchy"