On Fri, Mar 1, 2024 at 10:04 AM Jochen Fromm <j...@cas-group.net> wrote:
> Biosphere 2 near Tuscon was a similar, even more extreme experiment to > create a self-sustaining ecosystem. The experiment was considered a failure > and the whole center belongs now to the University of Arizona. > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2 > The creators of Biosphere II are from Santa Fe and still live here on Synergia Ranch <https://synergiaranch.com/>. I am in awe of what their "Theater of All Possibilities" pulled off in the 60s through the 90s and even today as a creative collective. I highly recommend the documentary Spaceship Earth ( https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/spaceship-earth) to give a more sympathetic background compared to how they were crucified by the press and later "screwed" by Steve Bannon brought in by Ed Bass to make it more commercial. Note the great Howard Odum's point on the Wikipedia you linked: " There was controversy when the public learned that the project had allowed an injured member to leave and return, carrying new material inside. The team claimed the only new supplies brought in were plastic bags, but others accused them of bringing food and other items. More criticism was raised when it was learned that, likewise, the project injected oxygen in January 1993 to make up for a failure in the balance of the system that resulted in the amount of oxygen steadily declining.[56] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2#cite_note-56> Some thought that these criticisms ignored that Biosphere 2 was an experiment where the unexpected would occur, adding to knowledge of how complex ecologies develop and interact, not a demonstration where everything was known in advance.[57] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2#cite_note-57> H. T. Odum <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_T._Odum> noted: "The management process during 1992–1993 using data to develop theory, test it with simulation, and apply corrective actions was in the best scientific tradition. Yet some journalists crucified the management in the public press, treating the project as if it was an Olympic contest to see how much could be done without opening the doors".[58] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosphere_2#cite_note-58>" That all said, I understand the larger context in which you ask the question and the difficulty of creating a self-sustaining ecosystem (and social system). BTW, I think we learned as much about social systems as ecosystems with Biosphere II to help us with Biosphere I with all the Steve Bannon's running around :-)
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