Portraying Process

The traffic light is a ubiquitous artifact in contemporary urban settings.  It's a simple semaphore with three signals:  go, caution, stop.

Think of a traffic light that has been tipped on its side (rotated 90° clockwise); the resulting sequence of colors (considered from left to right) is:  GREEN, YELLOW, RED (go, caution, stop).  In this context, the traffic light suggests a convenient expedient for visually representing the process:

Drawdown » Overshoot » Collapse.

The sequence "drawdown, overshoot, and collapse" can be represented by GREEN, YELLOW, RED (as a continuous gradient) with meanings analogous to "go, caution, stop." 

Three phases, three signals

Consequently, drawdown can be associated with green (go), overshoot with yellow (caution), and collapse with red (stop).

A Prosperous Way Down

Howard T. Odum, one of the 20th century's foremost ecologists, devised a symbolic formulation for representing the energetic aspect of natural systems.  Odum's symbolism can be applied to modeling natural processes.

In Chapter 8 of A Prosperous Way Down (co-authored with Elisabeth Odum), a "simulation model of world economic assets and population" is illustrated as Figure 8.4 (p. 129) . The following diagrams are fascimiles of Figures 8.4 (a) and 8.4(b):

 

After Figure 8.4 (a), H.T. & E.C. Odum, A Prosperous Way Down

Model for Assets and Population

After Figure 8.4 (b), H.T. & E.C. Odum, A Prosperous Way Down

Population Simulation Result
 
Note: an explanation of the model can be accessed by clicking the model diagram - Figure 8.4 (a) - above.

The simulation graphically portrays the inter-play of nonrenewable resources, assets, and population through time.

Are the similation model and  Drawdown » Overshoot » Collapse related?  Consider the following:

Color Gradient: Drawdown » Overshoot » Collapse

The transformation from drawdown to overshoot and then collapse is signified by the color gradient at the bottom of the illustration.