Geosphere, Biosphere, and Humanosphere in Global Economic and Environmental History

Recent literature on environmental history has discussed aspects of “geosphere” (which emerged with the birth of the earth) in relation to climate change, earthquakes and other disasters, as well as those of “biosphere” (which emerged well after the birth of the earth, but preceding the appearance of humans) in relation to infectious diseases, deforestation and the loss of biodiversity. Their findings are now influencing the more traditional themes such as the management of land and water. All of them are then related to issues affecting the “humanosphere” (the living environment of the human society), such as human security and energy security.

            Meanwhile, global economic historians have argued that environmental differences affected the pace and pattern of globalization. While different land-labour ratios between the West and East Asia played an important role in shaping their respective “path” of development, technological and institutional transfers from the West to East Asia after the late nineteenth century occurred relatively easily, because both regions were located in the temperate zone and their environmental characteristics other than the land-labour ratio was similar. On the other hand, the adaptation of Western technology and institutions to South Asia proved to be more difficult, because the nature of the tropical or semi-tropical environment could not be summarized in terms of factor endowment (and its institutional expression of private property rights), as monsoons dictated the patterns of rainfalls (hence the quality of land) and the tropical biota system governed the diffusion of infectious diseases (hence the quality of labour).            This paper offers a characterization of Western, East Asian and South Asian paths of economic development, by referring to the structures of geosphere, biosphere and humanosphere of each region and their interactions. It also calls for the need to go beyond the dichotomy between human history and environmental determinism.