Environmental Relations and Biophysical Transitions: The Case of Trinket Island by Singh, Simron J. and Grünbühel, Clemens M. (2003)

Environmental Relations and Biophysical Transitions: The Case of Trinket Island

Title

Environmental Relations and Biophysical Transitions: The Case of Trinket Island

Author(s)

Simron J Singh

Clemens Grünbühel

Year

2003

Type

Journal Article

Source

Geografiska Annaler, Series B, Human Geography, Volume 85, Issue 4, Pages 187-204

DOI

10.1111/j.0435-3684.2003.00142.x

Abstract

To what extent is an island economy cut off from the rest of the world? Defined as a mass of land bounded by water, island societies connect and exchange with their surroundings rather intensely. Based on empirical research, this paper explores the role of a ‘remote' island society on Trinket in generating or sheltering itself from the process of globalisation in which con-textually given borders are transgressed and displaced. To this end, we apply the concepts of societal metabolism and colonising natural processes operationalised by Material and Energy Flow Analysis (MEFA), and Human Appropriation of Net Primary Production (HANPP) respectively. Using these biophysical indicators, we describe the transition from a metabolism based upon the natural environment to metabolism based on exchange with other societies. Data presented in this paper further reveal a process of industrialisation and integration into the global market of a so-called ‘closed' and ‘inaccessible' island society.

More Information

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0435-3684.2003.00142.x

Environmental Relations and Biophysical Transitions: The Case of Trinket Island

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