The Japanese culture has existed on the island of Japan for the past 12 000 years (Harada, 2000, p.80). They remain one of the most technologically advanced and relatively sustainable civilizations of the contemporary world. These articles, Harada (2000), Diamond (2005), and Rollet (2008), compare alongside Ronald Wright’s A Short History of Progress to investigate the environmental crises that Japan experienced through potential progress traps. This paper examines articles exploring the uniquely rich conditions of the island, the environmental crises that arose during times of peace and prosperity, with particular respect to agriculture and deforestation from the 14th – 18th century.
To begin, we must first understand the historical context of the island that enabled a uniquely sustainable culture to develop. Almost 80% of Japan 's land mass consists of sparsely populated forested mountains (Diamond, 2005, p.303). Rolett explains that, through volcanic activity, ashes often renewed and enriched the Japanese soils and river systems below (p.4). The island also received higher than normal rainfall, …show more content…
According to Rolett, other pacific island civilizations in this period would repeatedly shift irrigation practices (p.7). By doing so, would deforest areas, typically with fire, for human food production while diminishing the island’s ecosystem. Comparatively, Japan’s irrigated agriculture allowed for greater yields of rice, while reclaiming less land for agriculture. In the long run, simple irrigated agriculture allowed Japan to avoid the consequences of timber shortages, erosion and runoff caused by expanding field systems (Rolett, p.5). Island cultures, like Japan, were forced to adapt quickly to avoid potential pyramid schemes, another of Tainter’s aspects of collapse, based around constant, and eventually destructive,
To begin, we must first understand the historical context of the island that enabled a uniquely sustainable culture to develop. Almost 80% of Japan 's land mass consists of sparsely populated forested mountains (Diamond, 2005, p.303). Rolett explains that, through volcanic activity, ashes often renewed and enriched the Japanese soils and river systems below (p.4). The island also received higher than normal rainfall, …show more content…
According to Rolett, other pacific island civilizations in this period would repeatedly shift irrigation practices (p.7). By doing so, would deforest areas, typically with fire, for human food production while diminishing the island’s ecosystem. Comparatively, Japan’s irrigated agriculture allowed for greater yields of rice, while reclaiming less land for agriculture. In the long run, simple irrigated agriculture allowed Japan to avoid the consequences of timber shortages, erosion and runoff caused by expanding field systems (Rolett, p.5). Island cultures, like Japan, were forced to adapt quickly to avoid potential pyramid schemes, another of Tainter’s aspects of collapse, based around constant, and eventually destructive,