This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Research in the International Journal of Sustainable Development has examined eight nations involved in World War II, both Allied and Axis countries, and shows how that period of history helped set societies on the path to the resource-intensive modern economies of today. The research links wartime mobilization to the period known as the Great Acceleration in energy use, material consumption and ultimately detrimental environmental impact.
The study examines societal change from before the war in 1935 through the postwar recovery period and the boom years up to 1960. Demographics, economic activity, power supply, material and resource flows, and environmental impact are all examined. Three major consequences of World War II emerged.
First, acceleration, in which existing trends became more intense. Second, redirection, in which development shifted toward new technologies and the opening of novel resources. Third, reset, in which destruction or political upheaval changed the direction of nations from the paths they were on before the war.
The researchers use the term "socio-metabolic transition" to describe the various changes in power consumption and physical resources in society. By adopting this almost biological model, they were able to connect wartime production and resource mobilization with institutional and technological changes that persisted long after 1945. Ladan Abrari et al, World War II and its lasting legacy: an overview of socio-metabolic transition, environmental impacts and resource flows, International Journal of Sustainable Development (2026).
DOI: 10.1504/ijsd.2026.155697 MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news. Full profile → Bachelor's in mathematical biology, Master's in creative writing.
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