Modern consumption patterns traced back to WWII mobilization
Research in the International Journal of Sustainable Development has examined eight nations involved in World War II, both Allied and Axis countries, and shows how that period of history helped set societies on the path to the resource-intensive modern economies of today. The research links wartime mobilization to the period known as the Great Acceleration in energy use, material consumption and…
A new study published in the International Journal of Sustainable Development explores the profound impact of World War II on modern consumption patterns. By examining the experiences of eight nations involved in the conflict, both Allied and Axis, researchers have traced the war's mobilization back to the onset of the "Great Acceleration" in energy use, material consumption, and environmental degradation.
The research reveals three key consequences of World War II that continue to shape today's resource-intensive economies. First, the acceleration of existing trends became more intense. Second, development redirected towards new technologies and the exploitation of novel resources. Lastly, destruction and political upheaval altered the course of nations, resetting their paths away from those they followed before the war.
Using the term "socio-metabolic transition," researchers describe the changes in power consumption and physical resources throughout society. This biological model connects wartime production and resource mobilization to institutional and technological changes that persisted well after 1945. The study's findings show that the socio-metabolic transition from 1935 to 1960 was directly linked to the postwar Great Acceleration, laying the foundation for the resource-intensive economic systems we experience today.
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