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Introduction to the transition framework

Planning for the future of our society must be based on an approach which ensures that all options are assessed in terms of their biosensitivity – that is, in terms of their likely impacts on both human health and the health of the ecosystems of our planet (Figure 1).  [2]

Figure 1. Biosensitivity triangle

This paper introduces a conceptual framework designed to facilitate thinking and communicating about the implications of different planning options for the full spectrum of ecological and health issues. It recognises the crucial role of culture in determining the health both of humans and of the ecosystems on which they depend. It is based on biohistorical principles which have been discussed in a number of publications.  [3]

The framework is based on appreciation that what matters most in planning for a biosensitive society is the health of humans and the health of the ecosystems on which these humans depend. From the planning point of view, this means that options must be considered ultimately in terms of their impacts on the immediate determinants of human and ecosystem health - which are referred to in the framework as 'Health needs' That is, planning decisions will affect whether or not these health needs are properly met, and consequently whether people or the ecosystems are healthy.

The framework is summarised in Figure 2. In this diagram, the two sets of variables that matter most, namely Human health needs (Box 9) are the conditions necessary for the health of humans, and Ecosystem health needs (Box 10), are on the far right hand side. Planning for biosensitivity must aim to ensure satisfaction of both these sets of needs. Table 1 and Table 2 are checklists of important health needs of humans and of ecosystems respectively.

The three groups of variables on the left hand side of the diagram − Human cultural options, Human biophysical options [5] and Biophysical environment− represent human ecosystems, from the biosphere as a whole to regional or local ecosystems which include human populations.

We are interested in the characteristics of these systems as they affect the health of humans and ecosystems (Boxes 9-12).  [6]

Human biophysical options include the biological and physical aspects of human situations that can be influenced by people’s decisions and that directly affect the all-important health needs of humans and of ecosystems. (Boxes 9 and 10).  It is subdivided into Human population (Box 3), Human activities − collective (Box 4), Human activities − individual (Box 5) and Artefacts (Box 6 − and meaning ‘things made by humans’).

These biophysical options (Boxes 3-6) can also influence the human and ecosystem health needs (Boxes 9 and 10) indirectly through their influence on the Biophysical environment, made up of the Living environment (Box 7) and the Physical environment (Box 8). For example, human activities can affect air quality (an aspect of the Physical environment − Box 8) in ways that impact on human or ecosystem health needs (Boxes 9 and 10). And certain agricultural practices can reduce the organic matters in soils (an aspect of the Living environment) – leading to interference with the health needs of ecosystems (Box 10).

The Human biophysical options are, in turn, influenced by components of the cultural system at the top left hand corner of the diagram – Human cultural options. These include Societal arrangements (Box 2) such as the prevailing economic system and governmental policies and regulations. And societal arrangements are to a large extent determined by the worldview, assumptions and priorities of the Dominant Culture (Box 1). For example, the cultural assumption (Box 1) that the best thing for our society is continuing economic growth involving ever-increasing use of resources and energy is a major force affecting the economic system and governmental policies, and consequently patterns of human activity (Boxes 4 and 5), and hence ultimately the health of our planet’s ecosystems.

Table 3 lists some examples of important sets of variables that need to be taken into account in the assessment of options for the future.

Application of the framework

This framework can be used as a starting point for assessing options in any sphere of human activity, ranging from personal lifestyle choices to, say, governmental responses to high levels of unemployment. Whatever the issue, the framework draws attention to the implications of decisions made both for human well-being and for the health of the ecosystems on which we depend. It also reminds us of the interconnectedness of different parts of the total system – both cultural and biophysical.

Table 1 (Box 9)

Human health needs [7]

Physical

• Clean air

• Clean water
• Healthy (natural) diet
• Healthy (natural) physical activity
• Noise levels within the natural range
• Minimal contact with microbial or metazoan parasites and pathogens
• Natural contact with environmental non-pathogenic microbes
• Electromagnetic radiation at natural levels
• Protection from extremes of weather

Psychosocial

• Emotional support networks
• Conviviality
• Co-operative small-group interaction
• Creative behaviour
• Learning and practising manual skills
• Recreational activities
• Variety in daily experience
• Sense of personal involvement/ purpose
• Sense of belonging
• Sense of responsibility
• Sense of challenge and achievement
• Sense of comradeship and love
• Sense of security

Table 2 (Box 10)  

The health needs of ecosystems

In light of our knowledge of the effects of various human activities on ecosystem health at the present time, we can put together a list of ecosystem health needs, as follows:

• The absence of polluting gases or particles in the atmosphere which significantly disrupt natural cycles and processes and change the climate
• The absence of polluting gases or particles in the atmosphere which interfere with living processes (e.g. particulate hydrocarbons from combustion of diesel fuel, sulphur oxides)
• The absence of substances in the atmosphere (e.g. CFCs) that result in destruction of the ozone layer in the stratosphere that protects living organisms from the ultraviolet radiation from the sun
• The absence of chemical compounds in oceans, lakes, rivers and streams in concentrations harmful to living organisms (e.g. persistent organic pollutants – POPs)
• No ionising radiation that can interfere with the normal processes of life and photosynthesis
• The absence of chemical compounds in the soil that can interfere with the normal processes of life (e.g. persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals)
• Soil loss no greater than soil formation (i.e. no soil erosion)
• No increase in soil salinity and soil sodicity
• The maintenance of the biological integrity of soil (i.e. maintaining a rich content of organic matter)
• Intact nutrient cycles in agricultural ecosystems over long periods of time (requiring return of nutrients to farmland)
• The maintenance of biodiversity in regional ecosystems (including aquatic ecosystems)

Table 3  

Notes

Papers in this series
1. Prologue
2. Biological background
3. A vision for the future: biosensitivity
4. What’s wrong today - a thumbnail sketch
5. The transition to a biosensitive society
6. Some crucial perspectives
7. A transition framework (this page)

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2. A biosensitive society is defined as a society which is in tune with, sensitive to and respectful of the processes of life and which satisfies the health needs of all sections of the human population and of the planet’s ecosystems. Back to text

3.  See, also S. Boyden, 1987 Western civilization in biological perspective: patterns in biohistory. Oxford University Press. Oxford, and S. Boyden. 2004 (see footnote 6) Back to text

4. The fact that some of the arrows in this diagram are pointing only in one direction demands an explanation. It does not mean, of course, that there are no important feed-back loops in the system. However, this is not a ‘systems diagram’. The direction of the arrows simply reflects our chief interest – namely, the most important factors and pathways of influence, direct and indirect, on the health of humans and of the ecosystems of the natural environment. Back to text

5. The word biophysical is used to mean biological and physical. Biophysical options are seen as distinct from cultural options which are basically abstract (e.g. beliefs and assumptions or government regulations). Back to text

6. The theoretical basis for this arrangement is described and discussed in S.Boyden. 2004. The biology of civilisation: understanding human culture as a force in nature. UNSW Press. Sydney Back to text

7.  This working list of human health needs is based on the evolutionary health principle and our knowledge of the conditions of life in the long natural, or hunter-gatherer phase of human existence. Back to text

Figure 2. The biosensitivity framework

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