Exercise 3

    The map below illustrates the linkages between development and global environmental change by showing the rate at which development increases and changes the landscape of the area. In a survey area of 1,002 square miles, the first stage of development measured was in 1997. In this initial stage of development within the survey area, only 14.4 square miles had been developed. Ten years later, 146 square miles had been developed. Only 10 years after, in 2017, 288 square miles had been developed. The initial size of 14.4 square miles had exponentially increased over a course of only 20 years. 

    Rostow's model focuses on the rate of economic development over time, and is characterized by 5 distinct stages. The first stage is traditional society, the second stage is the transitional stage, where an economy is beginning to grow, the third is the "takeoff", the fourth is the "drive to maturity," and the fifth is characterized by high mass economic consumption. In Rostow's model, an example of a country in the early stages of development is the movement from reliance on small-scale agriculture to the reliance on increasing specialization to maximize profits. This can be seen in the satellite imagery changing from mainly small scale farms to large grids of commercial agricultural production "facilities." The switch from the small farms to the large palm oil production sites illustrates the global supply chain's reliance on nations in early development stages. In order for a country that specializes in manufactured goods to make a profit, it must obtain low-cost raw materials from countries that are in lower stages of development (palm oil from the survey area). As demand for palm oil increases, the development of the survey area will increase until it is not possible to produce a profitable amount.