Way We Were: A smelter smorgasbord

Way We Were: A smelter smorgasbord

Industrial ecosystems evolve to fulfill a specific task. Notable examples include steel making, coal mining, lumbering, and mineral extraction. Like natural ecosystems, the industrial variety is complex, interconnected, and fragile. Subsystem disturbances can initiate a cascade of events resulting in dire circumstances, including ecosystem collapse. In this worst-case scenario, economic ruin befalls companies and communities that once flourished…