One of the biggest challenges of sustain design and planning is to better understand how our natural environment works. In this regard, we are only now beginning to understand the numerous feedback loops of the natural environment. As example, only now are we focusing on their being tipping points where at some point the melting of the ice glaciers or perma-frost from global warming would dramatically increase or cascade to a point of no return. Where or when such tipping points might exist we are only now begin to research. Until we learn to better model the interaction and dynamics of all parts of our natural environment, we cannot truly understand all the costs and impacts of alternative forms of development. Monday, April 20, 2009
One of the Things We Need to Understand Better is the Cascading Effect and Tipping Points Of Our Natural Environment
One of the biggest challenges of sustain design and planning is to better understand how our natural environment works. In this regard, we are only now beginning to understand the numerous feedback loops of the natural environment. As example, only now are we focusing on their being tipping points where at some point the melting of the ice glaciers or perma-frost from global warming would dramatically increase or cascade to a point of no return. Where or when such tipping points might exist we are only now begin to research. Until we learn to better model the interaction and dynamics of all parts of our natural environment, we cannot truly understand all the costs and impacts of alternative forms of development. 
