Sust- Sustainability Framework

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School

University of Hawaii *

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201

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Geography

Date

Oct 30, 2023

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docx

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Reading- https://laulima.hawaii.edu/access/lessonbuilder/item/15556904/group/M AN.XLSOS1N5ms.202230/Sust %20Framework/Diamond+Five+Point+Framework+Description.pdf Lecture ● We will use Diamond's five point framework to evaluate whether or not the peoples or societies we will now be studying were sustainable. These five points or factors are: ● 1) Environmental Damage - Past peoples and societies inadvertently damaged their environments. We do the same today, although for the most part we collectively are arguably more aware of the damage we are causing. Some environments are more fragile than others and so minor changes in the climate, for example, can have significant impacts on a society's ability to survive; especially if the society is over extended and requires the best circumstances and conditions to sustainably provide for its people. ● 2) Climate Change - Global, regional, and local climate can change. Climate can get hotter or colder, wetter or dryer, and how it varies and the timing can change. For most of human history, we, as a species, played no role in driving these changes. Recent studies suggest as early at 7,000 to 8,000 years ago that human farming activities started to alter global climate, but it is clear that since the start of the Industrial Revolution (1760) that human activities have significantly altered global climate. Until the past 200 or so years, we were unaware that our activities could impact global climate. ● 3) Hostile Neighbors - In many past cases, a society's relationship with neighbors played a role in its sustainability. In many situations, military defeats that caused societal collapse were truly caused by environmental and ecological damage that weakened the society to the point it could not effectively defend itself. ● 4) Friendly Trade Partners - Like the hostile neighbor factor, friendly trade partners could also play a role in a society's

sustainability. Even a friendly trade partner can become a liability. For example, if they are weakened by environmental damage, they may be unable to provide the goods and services other societies require to be sustainable. ● 5) Society's Response to Environmental Problems - From Diamond's perspective, this factor always proves to be significant whereas any of the other four may not necessarily play a role. He argues that past societies had the opportunity to act in their own self-interest, but in cases of societal collapse did not do so and this is ultimately why they ending up failing. ● Watch the below video of Jared Diamond discussing his five point framework and how it applies to past, present, and future societies with regards to their sustainability. ● Diamond's five point framework gives us a means to measure and compare the responses of different people and societies to climate and environmental change. His argument is their ability to respond to these changes governed, to a large extent, their sustainability. For the remainder of the semester, there will be six questions for each group of people we will consider. The purpose of these questions is to get at the fundamental characteristics of those people and their sustainability. Furthermore, this will allow us to contrast and compare different peoples. ● As an activity in each of the upcoming lessons ("Sedentism" through "Rapa Nui"), you will answer the following six questions at the end of each lesson to evaluate the sustainability of that lesson's people or society. ● 1) Manipulation of the environment ● Discuss how this society/people adapted and/or adjusted to the environment to improve their survival and sustainability. ● 2) Climate and Environment ● Discuss the climate that the society/people experienced and how did climate change impact their environment, if at all? ● 3) Food Production ● Explain the methods of food production used by the society/people.

● 4) Society Structure ● Discuss how the society/people were structured/organized and how did that help and/or hinder their sustainability? ● 5) Diamond's Five Point Ranking ● In your opinion, list in order, from most important to least important, the five points that Jared Diamond says drive societal collapse for this society/people. ● 6) Sustainability ● Do you consider this society to be sustainable? Explain why or why not? Use sources like course material, your own definition of sustainability, etc. to support your arguments. ●

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