Autocatalysis is a process, especially in chemistry, where an initiating event stimulates more of the same event. The most famous modern example isn’t chemical but nuclear, a chain reaction in which each atomic fission produces neutrons that stimulate further fissions, leading either to controlled release of energy in a nuclear power plant or an explosive release in a nuclear weapon. The Polynesian, Viking, and Spanish colonial expansions, where every new discovery encouraged more adventurers to join the search, can be considered a societal version of an autocatalytic process. Chemical or nuclear autocatalysis ends when the available material is used up; similarly, a societal autocatalytic process ends when colonizers have fully exploited all the newly discovered regions and resources.

A small community can work together to develop methods that sustain environmental and other resources. This is a “bottom-up” form of decision-making that relies on many individuals contributing their input; a “top-down” approach is more appropriate for large regions or nations. Modern Western democracies tend to use a combination of local “bottom-up” management and regional/federal “top-down” control to deal with environmental issues.