Publications
The profile of time allocation in the metabolic pattern of society: An internal biophysical limit to economic growth Journal Article
Manfroni, Michele; Velasco-Fernández, Raúl; Pérez-Sánchez, Laura; Bukkens, Sandra G. F.; Giampietro, Mario
In: Ecological Economics, 190 , pp. 107183, 2021, ISSN: 09218009.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Energy, Human activity, MuSIASEM, Social practices, Societal metabolism, sustainability, Sustainable production and consumption
@article{Manfroni2021a,
title = {The profile of time allocation in the metabolic pattern of society: An internal biophysical limit to economic growth},
author = {Michele Manfroni and Ra\'{u}l Velasco-Fern\'{a}ndez and Laura P\'{e}rez-S\'{a}nchez and Sandra G. F. Bukkens and Mario Giampietro},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S092180092100241X},
doi = {10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107183},
issn = {09218009},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-12-01},
journal = {Ecological Economics},
volume = {190},
pages = {107183},
abstract = {We show that shortage of human activity may represent an internal constraint to economic growth as relevant as external resource and sink constraints. Human time is required, both inside and outside the market, to produce and consume the goods and services needed to sustain societal metabolism. The time allocation profile is therefore an emergent property of the societal metabolic pattern. When most time is invested in services and final consumption rather than supplying the inputs required by the metabolic process, further growth is constrained. This problem may be temporarily overcome by three strategies: (i) increasing capital investment to boost labor productivity in the productive sectors; (ii) externalizing the requirement of working hours through imports of goods and services; (iii) importing economically active population through immigration. Each strategy is illustrated with an empirical example: (i) a comparison of the evolution of the profile of time and capital allocation between China and the EU; (ii) an assessment of the labor hours embodied in EU imports; (iii) an analysis of demographic changes in response to immigration in Spain. While these strategies can temporarily overcome constraints to economic growth at the national level, they do not represent a long-term solution at the global level.},
keywords = {Energy, Human activity, MuSIASEM, Social practices, Societal metabolism, sustainability, Sustainable production and consumption},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
We show that shortage of human activity may represent an internal constraint to economic growth as relevant as external resource and sink constraints. Human time is required, both inside and outside the market, to produce and consume the goods and services needed to sustain societal metabolism. The time allocation profile is therefore an emergent property of the societal metabolic pattern. When most time is invested in services and final consumption rather than supplying the inputs required by the metabolic process, further growth is constrained. This problem may be temporarily overcome by three strategies: (i) increasing capital investment to boost labor productivity in the productive sectors; (ii) externalizing the requirement of working hours through imports of goods and services; (iii) importing economically active population through immigration. Each strategy is illustrated with an empirical example: (i) a comparison of the evolution of the profile of time and capital allocation between China and the EU; (ii) an assessment of the labor hours embodied in EU imports; (iii) an analysis of demographic changes in response to immigration in Spain. While these strategies can temporarily overcome constraints to economic growth at the national level, they do not represent a long-term solution at the global level.
Matthews, Keith B.; Renner, Ansel; Blackstock, Kirsty L.; Waylen, Kerry A.; Miller, Dave G.; Wardell-Johnson, Doug H.; Juarez-Bourke, Alba; Cadillo-Benalcazar, Juan; Schyns, Joep F.; Giampietro, Mario
In: Sustainability, 13 (18), pp. 10080, 2021, ISSN: 2071-1050.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: common agricultural policy, Energy, FADN, food nexus, Societal metabolism, sustainability, Water
@article{Matthews2021,
title = {Old Wine in New Bottles: Exploiting Data from the EU's Farm Accountancy Data Network for Pan-EU Sustainability Assessments of Agricultural Production Systems},
author = {Keith B. Matthews and Ansel Renner and Kirsty L. Blackstock and Kerry A. Waylen and Dave G. Miller and Doug H. Wardell-Johnson and Alba Juarez-Bourke and Juan Cadillo-Benalcazar and Joep F. Schyns and Mario Giampietro},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/18/10080/htm https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/18/10080},
doi = {10.3390/su131810080},
issn = {2071-1050},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-09-01},
journal = {Sustainability},
volume = {13},
number = {18},
pages = {10080},
publisher = {Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute},
abstract = {The paper presents insights from carrying out a pan-EU sustainability assessment using Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) data (the old wine) with societal metabolism accounting (SMA) processes (the new bottles). The SMA was deployed as part of a transdisciplinary study with EU policy stakeholders of how EU policy may need to change to deliver sustainability commitments, particularly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The paper outlines the concepts underlying SMA and its specific implementation using the FADN data. A key focus was on the interactions between crop and livestock systems and how this determines imported feedstuffs requirements, with environmental and other footprints beyond the EU. Examples of agricultural production systems performance are presented in terms of financial/efficiency, resource use (particularly the water footprint) and quantifies potential pressures on the environment. Benefits and limitations of the FADN dataset and the SMA outputs are discussed, highlighting the challenges of linking quantified pressures with environmental impacts. The paper concludes that the complexity of agriculture's interactions with economy and society means there is great need for conceptual frameworks, such as SMA, that can take multiple, non-equivalent, perspectives and that can be deployed with policy stakeholders despite generating uncomfortable knowledge.},
keywords = {common agricultural policy, Energy, FADN, food nexus, Societal metabolism, sustainability, Water},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The paper presents insights from carrying out a pan-EU sustainability assessment using Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) data (the old wine) with societal metabolism accounting (SMA) processes (the new bottles). The SMA was deployed as part of a transdisciplinary study with EU policy stakeholders of how EU policy may need to change to deliver sustainability commitments, particularly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The paper outlines the concepts underlying SMA and its specific implementation using the FADN data. A key focus was on the interactions between crop and livestock systems and how this determines imported feedstuffs requirements, with environmental and other footprints beyond the EU. Examples of agricultural production systems performance are presented in terms of financial/efficiency, resource use (particularly the water footprint) and quantifies potential pressures on the environment. Benefits and limitations of the FADN dataset and the SMA outputs are discussed, highlighting the challenges of linking quantified pressures with environmental impacts. The paper concludes that the complexity of agriculture's interactions with economy and society means there is great need for conceptual frameworks, such as SMA, that can take multiple, non-equivalent, perspectives and that can be deployed with policy stakeholders despite generating uncomfortable knowledge.
Renner, Ansel
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2021, ISBN: 9788449097935.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biophysical economics, Societal metabolism, sustainability
@phdthesis{Renner2021b,
title = {Supercritical Sustainability. A Relational Theory of Social-Ecological Systems with Lessons from a Disenfranchised European Primary Sector},
author = {Ansel Renner},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/671298},
isbn = {9788449097935},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
pages = {171},
school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},
abstract = {From biodiversity loss to soil degradation to pollution of water bodies, our life support systems are in decline. Spaceship Earth is in trouble. We are trouble. Sustainability science has emerged in response, offering to model our way to safety. The spirit of modeling efforts in the sustainability science is, however, dominated by notions of prediction and optimization. While prediction and optimization have proven extremely successful in other domains, leading to the creation of rockets and smartphones and so forth, they fail to grasp the essential intangibilities of social-ecological systems. They have effectively colonized the future, supporting a regime of techno-scientific promises and comforting ex-post motives. This dissertation explores an alternative approach to sustainability science, one based on anticipation studies and the idea of social-ecological systems as complex adaptive systems. A thorough revision of the conceptual basis of modeling for sustainability is made, based on insights from societal metabolism and relational biology. That revision is then used to inform the characterization of social-economic systems as metabolic-repair systems, meaning organisms. New light is thereby shed on global megatrends of globalization and urbanization, through which societies are losing control over their identities. Insights on modeling provided by societal metabolism and relational biology are then crossed with insights from philosophy of mind and philosophy of language to re-conceptualize the architecture of social-ecological knowledge spaces, within which models exist. An emphasis is made on the role of justification, explanation and normative narratives in creating knowledge space bounds and breaking impredicativities. Having established a robust conceptual basis, two case studies are presented. The first, a quantitative storytelling on the quick deployment of alternative sources of electrical energy to decarbonize the economy, highlights several shortcomings of current governance efforts. It is asserted, for example, that the hasty way energy storage is considered in contemporary energy transition discussions is leading society towards a grave situation of structural-functional mismatch. The second case study, a quantitative storytelling on agricultural re-internalization, highlights a set of security concerns associated with the extreme levels of agricultural externalization found in modern social-economic systems. Neither of the quantitative storytellings presented in this dissertation make any attempt to predict the future. Their offering is as learning-type storylines, helping society clarify its vision of a desirable future. Indeed, although critical of them, none of the insights in this dissertation are arguments for the elimination of conventional approaches to modeling. This dissertation is merely an effort to break the hegemony of predictivity and optimizability, to complement those ideas with notions of impredicativity. A paradigm of supercritical sustainability is ultimately proposed, being a mode of sustainability where the self-referentiality of complex systems is understood to be a virtuous cycle, not a vicious one. Supercritical sustainability re-opens discussion of the ruptured future, providing insights into the deliberative creation of extensible social-ecological models in support of responsible development pathways.},
keywords = {Biophysical economics, Societal metabolism, sustainability},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
From biodiversity loss to soil degradation to pollution of water bodies, our life support systems are in decline. Spaceship Earth is in trouble. We are trouble. Sustainability science has emerged in response, offering to model our way to safety. The spirit of modeling efforts in the sustainability science is, however, dominated by notions of prediction and optimization. While prediction and optimization have proven extremely successful in other domains, leading to the creation of rockets and smartphones and so forth, they fail to grasp the essential intangibilities of social-ecological systems. They have effectively colonized the future, supporting a regime of techno-scientific promises and comforting ex-post motives. This dissertation explores an alternative approach to sustainability science, one based on anticipation studies and the idea of social-ecological systems as complex adaptive systems. A thorough revision of the conceptual basis of modeling for sustainability is made, based on insights from societal metabolism and relational biology. That revision is then used to inform the characterization of social-economic systems as metabolic-repair systems, meaning organisms. New light is thereby shed on global megatrends of globalization and urbanization, through which societies are losing control over their identities. Insights on modeling provided by societal metabolism and relational biology are then crossed with insights from philosophy of mind and philosophy of language to re-conceptualize the architecture of social-ecological knowledge spaces, within which models exist. An emphasis is made on the role of justification, explanation and normative narratives in creating knowledge space bounds and breaking impredicativities. Having established a robust conceptual basis, two case studies are presented. The first, a quantitative storytelling on the quick deployment of alternative sources of electrical energy to decarbonize the economy, highlights several shortcomings of current governance efforts. It is asserted, for example, that the hasty way energy storage is considered in contemporary energy transition discussions is leading society towards a grave situation of structural-functional mismatch. The second case study, a quantitative storytelling on agricultural re-internalization, highlights a set of security concerns associated with the extreme levels of agricultural externalization found in modern social-economic systems. Neither of the quantitative storytellings presented in this dissertation make any attempt to predict the future. Their offering is as learning-type storylines, helping society clarify its vision of a desirable future. Indeed, although critical of them, none of the insights in this dissertation are arguments for the elimination of conventional approaches to modeling. This dissertation is merely an effort to break the hegemony of predictivity and optimizability, to complement those ideas with notions of impredicativity. A paradigm of supercritical sustainability is ultimately proposed, being a mode of sustainability where the self-referentiality of complex systems is understood to be a virtuous cycle, not a vicious one. Supercritical sustainability re-opens discussion of the ruptured future, providing insights into the deliberative creation of extensible social-ecological models in support of responsible development pathways.
The energy metabolism of post-industrial economies. A framework to account for externalization across scales Journal Article
Ripa, M.; Felice, L. J. Di; Giampietro, M.
In: Energy, 214 , pp. 118943, 2021, ISSN: 03605442.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Energy sector, Externalization, Multi-scale analysis, MuSIASEM, Societal metabolism
@article{Ripa2021,
title = {The energy metabolism of post-industrial economies. A framework to account for externalization across scales},
author = {M. Ripa and L. J. Di Felice and M. Giampietro},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0360544220320508},
doi = {10.1016/j.energy.2020.118943},
issn = {03605442},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
journal = {Energy},
volume = {214},
pages = {118943},
abstract = {Post-industrial societies heavily rely on the consumption of embodied energy for their activities \textendash i.e., energy invested elsewhere to produce what is imported and consumed (or re-exported). The openness of the energy sector poses modelling challenges, calling for multi-scale, integrated analytical frames. We propose a methodology grounded in societal metabolism aimed at analysing the behaviour of a system (where the system may be a region, a country, a continent, etc.). We make the distinction between three types of scales necessary to contextualize the behaviour of the energy sector within a globalized economy: the macroscope, the mesoscope and the microscope. The methodology is applied to analyze the energy sector of EU19 countries, considering internal and external labour, primary energy sources, energy carriers and GHG emissions. The results show that imported primary energy sources and energy carriers within the EU19 are associated with externalized pressures and impacts. For example, accounting for the externalized carbon emissions of the energy sector raises total GHG emissions of the sector by 60% on EU average. This has implications for the assessment of the effectiveness of global sustainability policies. By not accounting for externalized effects, energy models can miss relevant information about the interactions among systems.},
keywords = {Energy sector, Externalization, Multi-scale analysis, MuSIASEM, Societal metabolism},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Post-industrial societies heavily rely on the consumption of embodied energy for their activities – i.e., energy invested elsewhere to produce what is imported and consumed (or re-exported). The openness of the energy sector poses modelling challenges, calling for multi-scale, integrated analytical frames. We propose a methodology grounded in societal metabolism aimed at analysing the behaviour of a system (where the system may be a region, a country, a continent, etc.). We make the distinction between three types of scales necessary to contextualize the behaviour of the energy sector within a globalized economy: the macroscope, the mesoscope and the microscope. The methodology is applied to analyze the energy sector of EU19 countries, considering internal and external labour, primary energy sources, energy carriers and GHG emissions. The results show that imported primary energy sources and energy carriers within the EU19 are associated with externalized pressures and impacts. For example, accounting for the externalized carbon emissions of the energy sector raises total GHG emissions of the sector by 60% on EU average. This has implications for the assessment of the effectiveness of global sustainability policies. By not accounting for externalized effects, energy models can miss relevant information about the interactions among systems.
Matthews, K B; Waylen, K A; Blackstock, K L; Juarez-Bourke, A; Miller, D G; Wardell-Johnson, D H; Rivington, M; Giampietro, M
In: Elsawah, S. (Ed.): MODSIM2019, 23rd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, pp. 877–883, Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand, 2019, ISBN: 9780975840092.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: common agricultural policy, nexus, science-policy, Societal metabolism, sustainability
@inproceedings{Matthews2019a,
title = {Science for Sustainability: Using Societal Metabolism Analysis to check the robustness of European Union policy narratives in the water, energy and food nexus},
author = {K B Matthews and K A Waylen and K L Blackstock and A Juarez-Bourke and D G Miller and D H Wardell-Johnson and M Rivington and M Giampietro},
editor = {S. Elsawah},
url = {https://mssanz.org.au/modsim2019/J5/matthews.pdf},
doi = {10.36334/modsim.2019.J5.matthews},
isbn = {9780975840092},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-12-01},
booktitle = {MODSIM2019, 23rd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation},
pages = {877--883},
publisher = {Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand},
abstract = {This paper is an output of an ongoing EU Horizon 2020 project (MAGIC) that aims to better understand how EU water, food, energy, waste and biodiversity policies link with each other and with EU climate and sustainability goals, framed in terms of the nexus concept. The project conducts transdisciplinary research with policy makers using an approach termed Quantitative Story Telling (QST), as an interface between science and policy domains. QST combines semantic (qualitative) and formal (quantitative) approaches to assess the plausibility, normative fairness and analytical coherence of narratives being used by stakeholders to justify either the status quo or alternative policy positions for the EU. The paper focuses on those aspects of the MAGIC analysis highlighted by external reviewers of the project as being most insightful and having the most potential value to a wider community of practice concerned with supporting or evaluating sustainability related policies. The paper outlines the process of QST used and the quantitative method used, multi-scale societal metabolism analyses (SMA) assessing the funds of land and human time needed to create the flows of materials, energy and money that reproduce and maintain the identity of the system of interest. As one of the five MAGIC policy studies, the authors focused on a key EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) narrative. CAP is a policy which is now expected to deliver multiple objectives across policy domains, but as implemented, potentially contributes to a tension between supporting competitiveness and delivering public goods. High-level findings that quantify aspects of this tension are presented, followed by specific technical issues found when conducting the analysis. The paper then reflects on the authors' use of these data to discuss with policy-makers issues where the tension between competitiveness and public goods are most stark; a more interpretive, qualitative phase of analysis that builds on the quantitative analysis. The outputs of the analysis used within the CAP QST imply the need for policy makers to consider alternative issue framings, otherwise they risk appearing to make only a rhetorical commitment to defining and delivering EU sustainability goals. The societal metabolic framing used in MAGIC highlights the biophysical underpinnings of EU farming systems; their dependence on non-renewable resources and the pressures generated by them that degrade ecosystem functions or services. A societal metabolic framing also means considering multiple scales, since otherwise EU policy is blind to the effects it has on sustainability beyond the borders of the EU. If research impact is defined in terms of acknowledged change in stakeholders' concepts or behaviours (an expected impact for the project by funders) then to date, there has been limited 'success'. While the rhetoric of 'evidence-based policy' remains prominent, it remains extremely challenging to engage with policy makers in deliberation on evidence that challenges conventional narratives. This was the case even for staff with extensive experience of inter-and transdisciplinary working at the science-policy interface. In conclusion, science for sustainability policy could benefit from adopting the approaches like QST, which can integrate and balance the semantic and formal parts of science for policy research. For the wider science-policy community of practice, the key insight is that for processes like QST the key decisions are made at the interfaces between the sematic and formal phases of analysis (what is modelled and why) and the formal and semantic phases of analysis (what the outputs mean and why they shouldn't be ignored).},
keywords = {common agricultural policy, nexus, science-policy, Societal metabolism, sustainability},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
This paper is an output of an ongoing EU Horizon 2020 project (MAGIC) that aims to better understand how EU water, food, energy, waste and biodiversity policies link with each other and with EU climate and sustainability goals, framed in terms of the nexus concept. The project conducts transdisciplinary research with policy makers using an approach termed Quantitative Story Telling (QST), as an interface between science and policy domains. QST combines semantic (qualitative) and formal (quantitative) approaches to assess the plausibility, normative fairness and analytical coherence of narratives being used by stakeholders to justify either the status quo or alternative policy positions for the EU. The paper focuses on those aspects of the MAGIC analysis highlighted by external reviewers of the project as being most insightful and having the most potential value to a wider community of practice concerned with supporting or evaluating sustainability related policies. The paper outlines the process of QST used and the quantitative method used, multi-scale societal metabolism analyses (SMA) assessing the funds of land and human time needed to create the flows of materials, energy and money that reproduce and maintain the identity of the system of interest. As one of the five MAGIC policy studies, the authors focused on a key EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) narrative. CAP is a policy which is now expected to deliver multiple objectives across policy domains, but as implemented, potentially contributes to a tension between supporting competitiveness and delivering public goods. High-level findings that quantify aspects of this tension are presented, followed by specific technical issues found when conducting the analysis. The paper then reflects on the authors' use of these data to discuss with policy-makers issues where the tension between competitiveness and public goods are most stark; a more interpretive, qualitative phase of analysis that builds on the quantitative analysis. The outputs of the analysis used within the CAP QST imply the need for policy makers to consider alternative issue framings, otherwise they risk appearing to make only a rhetorical commitment to defining and delivering EU sustainability goals. The societal metabolic framing used in MAGIC highlights the biophysical underpinnings of EU farming systems; their dependence on non-renewable resources and the pressures generated by them that degrade ecosystem functions or services. A societal metabolic framing also means considering multiple scales, since otherwise EU policy is blind to the effects it has on sustainability beyond the borders of the EU. If research impact is defined in terms of acknowledged change in stakeholders' concepts or behaviours (an expected impact for the project by funders) then to date, there has been limited 'success'. While the rhetoric of 'evidence-based policy' remains prominent, it remains extremely challenging to engage with policy makers in deliberation on evidence that challenges conventional narratives. This was the case even for staff with extensive experience of inter-and transdisciplinary working at the science-policy interface. In conclusion, science for sustainability policy could benefit from adopting the approaches like QST, which can integrate and balance the semantic and formal parts of science for policy research. For the wider science-policy community of practice, the key insight is that for processes like QST the key decisions are made at the interfaces between the sematic and formal phases of analysis (what is modelled and why) and the formal and semantic phases of analysis (what the outputs mean and why they shouldn't be ignored).
Towards Measuring the Informal City: A Societal Metabolism Approach Journal Article
Smit, Suzanne; Musango, Josephine K.; Kovacic, Zora; Brent, Alan C.
In: Journal of Industrial Ecology, 23 (3), pp. 674–685, 2019, ISSN: 1088-1980.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Informal settlement, MuSIASEM, Societal metabolism, South Africa, Urban metabolism, urban slum
@article{Smit2019,
title = {Towards Measuring the Informal City: A Societal Metabolism Approach},
author = {Suzanne Smit and Josephine K. Musango and Zora Kovacic and Alan C. Brent},
url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jiec.12776 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jiec.12776 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jiec.12776},
doi = {10.1111/jiec.12776},
issn = {1088-1980},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-06-01},
journal = {Journal of Industrial Ecology},
volume = {23},
number = {3},
pages = {674--685},
publisher = {John Wiley & Sons, Ltd},
abstract = {The rapid growth of urban informal settlements, or slums, poses a particular challenge for balancing developmental and environmental goals. In South Africa, high levels of inequality, poverty, and unemployment contribute to widespread migration. The influx of migrant workers to cities, however, is rarely matched with adequate housing and infrastructure, resulting in the formation and growth of urban informal settlements. Despite the persistence of the slum phenomenon, very few studies provide an in-depth understanding of the metabolic processes that link these spaces, and informal economies, to the broader urban environment and economy. This article therefore utilized a multiscale integrated assessment of the societal and ecosystem metabolism approach to examine human activity and land use in Enkanini, an urban informal settlement in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The results highlight a number of issues to be addressed through spatial, developmental, and local economic policy, such as the need for improved transport linkages. The time-use results show that Enkanini is a net provider of labor to the surrounding area. Further, geographical mapping indicates Enkanini as a small, but vibrant, informal economy, while being grossly underserviced in terms of water, waste, and sanitation infrastructure. Key implications are discussed in terms of the theoretical, methodological, societal, and policy impact of the study, including the need for city observatories that conduct regular data collection and analysis.},
keywords = {Informal settlement, MuSIASEM, Societal metabolism, South Africa, Urban metabolism, urban slum},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The rapid growth of urban informal settlements, or slums, poses a particular challenge for balancing developmental and environmental goals. In South Africa, high levels of inequality, poverty, and unemployment contribute to widespread migration. The influx of migrant workers to cities, however, is rarely matched with adequate housing and infrastructure, resulting in the formation and growth of urban informal settlements. Despite the persistence of the slum phenomenon, very few studies provide an in-depth understanding of the metabolic processes that link these spaces, and informal economies, to the broader urban environment and economy. This article therefore utilized a multiscale integrated assessment of the societal and ecosystem metabolism approach to examine human activity and land use in Enkanini, an urban informal settlement in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The results highlight a number of issues to be addressed through spatial, developmental, and local economic policy, such as the need for improved transport linkages. The time-use results show that Enkanini is a net provider of labor to the surrounding area. Further, geographical mapping indicates Enkanini as a small, but vibrant, informal economy, while being grossly underserviced in terms of water, waste, and sanitation infrastructure. Key implications are discussed in terms of the theoretical, methodological, societal, and policy impact of the study, including the need for city observatories that conduct regular data collection and analysis.
An alternative to market-oriented energy models: Nexus patterns across hierarchical levels Journal Article
Felice, Louisa Jane Di; Ripa, Maddalena; Giampietro, Mario
In: Energy Policy, 126 , pp. 431–443, 2019, ISSN: 03014215.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Complexity, Hierarchy Theory, MuSIASEM, Science-policy interface, Societal metabolism, Water-energy-food nexus
@article{DiFelice2019,
title = {An alternative to market-oriented energy models: Nexus patterns across hierarchical levels},
author = {Louisa Jane Di Felice and Maddalena Ripa and Mario Giampietro},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0301421518307250},
doi = {10.1016/j.enpol.2018.11.002},
issn = {03014215},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-03-01},
journal = {Energy Policy},
volume = {126},
pages = {431--443},
publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},
abstract = {From a biophysical perspective, energy is central to the behaviour of social-ecological systems. Its ubiquity means that energy is entangled with nexus elements, including water, land, emissions and labour. At the science-policy interface, large market-oriented energy models dominate as the tool to inform decision-making. The outputs of these models are used to shape policies, but strongly depend on sets of assumptions that are not available for deliberation and gloss over uncertainties. Taking an approach from complexity, we propose an alternative to market-oriented energy models, describing the behaviour of energy systems in relation to patterns of nexus elements across hierarchical levels. Three characteristics are central to the approach: (i) the distinction of the model's building blocks into functional and structural elements; (ii) their hierarchical organisation and (iii) the description of nexus patterns at each level, through the tool of the processor. To illustrate the model, it is applied to Catalonia's energy sector, linking production and consumption patterns. The framework may help inform stakeholder deliberation on pressing energy and nexus issues.},
keywords = {Complexity, Hierarchy Theory, MuSIASEM, Science-policy interface, Societal metabolism, Water-energy-food nexus},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
From a biophysical perspective, energy is central to the behaviour of social-ecological systems. Its ubiquity means that energy is entangled with nexus elements, including water, land, emissions and labour. At the science-policy interface, large market-oriented energy models dominate as the tool to inform decision-making. The outputs of these models are used to shape policies, but strongly depend on sets of assumptions that are not available for deliberation and gloss over uncertainties. Taking an approach from complexity, we propose an alternative to market-oriented energy models, describing the behaviour of energy systems in relation to patterns of nexus elements across hierarchical levels. Three characteristics are central to the approach: (i) the distinction of the model's building blocks into functional and structural elements; (ii) their hierarchical organisation and (iii) the description of nexus patterns at each level, through the tool of the processor. To illustrate the model, it is applied to Catalonia's energy sector, linking production and consumption patterns. The framework may help inform stakeholder deliberation on pressing energy and nexus issues.
The lose - lose predicament of deforestation through subsistence farming: Unpacking agricultural expansion in the Ecuadorian Amazon Journal Article
Kovacic, Zora; Salazar, Oswaldo Viteri
In: Journal of Rural Studies, 51 , pp. 105–114, 2017, ISSN: 07430167.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Agro-ecology, Deforestation, Integrated assessment, Smallholders, Societal metabolism, Typology
@article{Kovacic2017,
title = {The lose - lose predicament of deforestation through subsistence farming: Unpacking agricultural expansion in the Ecuadorian Amazon},
author = {Zora Kovacic and Oswaldo Viteri Salazar},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0743016717300992},
doi = {10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.02.002},
issn = {07430167},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-04-01},
journal = {Journal of Rural Studies},
volume = {51},
pages = {105--114},
publisher = {Pergamon},
abstract = {Agricultural expansion in the Ecuadorian Amazon is carried out predominantly by small-scale farming systems, yet the impacts of smallholders on the ecosystem and social fabric are not fully understood. In this paper, we use the societal metabolism approach to operationalize the analytical concepts of complexity theory put forward by agro-ecology analysis. We define a typology of farming systems and assess the impact of different trends, such as population growth, the emergence of new farming practices and the implementation of policies aimed at increasing agricultural production, on (i) the livelihood of smallholders; (ii) the national economy; and (iii) deforestation and biodiversity loss. Our findings indicate that smallholders find themselves in a subsistence trap, in which intensification of agriculture does not lead to an improvement in income, exacerbates social inequalities, negatively affects the ecosystem and has negligible benefits for the national economy.},
keywords = {Agro-ecology, Deforestation, Integrated assessment, Smallholders, Societal metabolism, Typology},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Agricultural expansion in the Ecuadorian Amazon is carried out predominantly by small-scale farming systems, yet the impacts of smallholders on the ecosystem and social fabric are not fully understood. In this paper, we use the societal metabolism approach to operationalize the analytical concepts of complexity theory put forward by agro-ecology analysis. We define a typology of farming systems and assess the impact of different trends, such as population growth, the emergence of new farming practices and the implementation of policies aimed at increasing agricultural production, on (i) the livelihood of smallholders; (ii) the national economy; and (iii) deforestation and biodiversity loss. Our findings indicate that smallholders find themselves in a subsistence trap, in which intensification of agriculture does not lead to an improvement in income, exacerbates social inequalities, negatively affects the ecosystem and has negligible benefits for the national economy.
Fernández, Raúl Velasco
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2017, ISBN: 9788449075520.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biopysical economics, Multi-scale analysis, Societal metabolism
@phdthesis{VelascoFernandez2017,
title = {The pattern of socio-ecological systems. A focus on energy, human activity, value added and material products},
author = {Ra\'{u}l Velasco Fern\'{a}ndez},
url = {https://ddd.uab.cat/record/187290 http://hdl.handle.net/10803/457589},
isbn = {9788449075520},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
pages = {276},
school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},
abstract = {This thesis is about the development of analytical tools within an innovative theoretical framework, with the goal of generating more useful quantitative data in relation to the analysis of sustainability. In particular, the methodological approach explored here wants to integrate quantitative information referring to different dimensions of analysis (economic, demographic, social, biophysical and environmental), different scales (macro-regional, regional and national) and different levels of analysis (whole economy, economic sectors and subsectors). As discussed in detail in Chapter 3, it is becoming more and more evident that biophysical analysis has to become more holistic. It has to be capable of contextualizing and giving meaning to the individual quantitative assessments it produces. Aggregate indicators referring to the whole economy or to specific technical coefficients describing individual processes are not coherent with each other and when used in isolation do not provide reliable information about the performance of the economy. The innovative theoretical framework I used for my exploration is the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM), which allows developing a quantitative relational analysis capable of dealing with multiple scales and dimensions, as required for dealing with sustainability issues. The goal of the method (and of my explorations) has been the identification of the relevant factors that have to be considered in order to study the performance of the metabolic pattern of modern societies. My research started \textendash Chapter 2 - with a basic application of MuSIASEM's methods to compare the changes in the performance of the economies of China and India in the period between 1971 and 2010. Adopting the established accounting procedure, this analysis was based on data referring to energy (measured in gross energy requirement), value added and human activity at three levels of analysis: (i) average society; (ii) paid work vs. households, and (iii) the set of economic sectors made up of agriculture, industry and services. This analysis identified relevant factors affecting the metabolic patterns of these two big countries: their demographic structure, the level of capitalization of their different sectors or the different effects that this capitalization generated on the material standard of living in the household sector. Afterwards, I developed a new protocol of analysis able to keep the accounting of energy forms of different qualities separate. This was required by the unsatisfactory situation with existing biophysical indicators of performance (Chapter 3). The accounting of “energy” was no longer done in Joules of gross energy requirement, but using different categories of “Joules” referring to different energy carriers (electricity, fuels and process heat). In order to apply the new protocol across different scales, it was applied to a large case study, by considering the metabolic pattern of European countries (EU27 + Norway). Moreover, this analysis was carried out across many levels, arriving to distinguish up to 13 subsectors inside the Manufacturing and Construction sector (Chapter 4). Finally, the last exploration of the potentialities of the approach was related to an attempt to include material flow accounting, starting with the analysis of the products produced and the level of imports and exports of a subsector of the industrial sector (Chapter 5). The analysis shows that the approach can be effectively used to: (i) identify relevant categories of production processes taking place at lower levels than subsectors, and (ii) characterize the level of openness of the subsectors (the degree of externalization to other socio-ecological systems). This last analysis was carried out for EU22 countries.},
keywords = {Biopysical economics, Multi-scale analysis, Societal metabolism},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
This thesis is about the development of analytical tools within an innovative theoretical framework, with the goal of generating more useful quantitative data in relation to the analysis of sustainability. In particular, the methodological approach explored here wants to integrate quantitative information referring to different dimensions of analysis (economic, demographic, social, biophysical and environmental), different scales (macro-regional, regional and national) and different levels of analysis (whole economy, economic sectors and subsectors). As discussed in detail in Chapter 3, it is becoming more and more evident that biophysical analysis has to become more holistic. It has to be capable of contextualizing and giving meaning to the individual quantitative assessments it produces. Aggregate indicators referring to the whole economy or to specific technical coefficients describing individual processes are not coherent with each other and when used in isolation do not provide reliable information about the performance of the economy. The innovative theoretical framework I used for my exploration is the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM), which allows developing a quantitative relational analysis capable of dealing with multiple scales and dimensions, as required for dealing with sustainability issues. The goal of the method (and of my explorations) has been the identification of the relevant factors that have to be considered in order to study the performance of the metabolic pattern of modern societies. My research started – Chapter 2 - with a basic application of MuSIASEM's methods to compare the changes in the performance of the economies of China and India in the period between 1971 and 2010. Adopting the established accounting procedure, this analysis was based on data referring to energy (measured in gross energy requirement), value added and human activity at three levels of analysis: (i) average society; (ii) paid work vs. households, and (iii) the set of economic sectors made up of agriculture, industry and services. This analysis identified relevant factors affecting the metabolic patterns of these two big countries: their demographic structure, the level of capitalization of their different sectors or the different effects that this capitalization generated on the material standard of living in the household sector. Afterwards, I developed a new protocol of analysis able to keep the accounting of energy forms of different qualities separate. This was required by the unsatisfactory situation with existing biophysical indicators of performance (Chapter 3). The accounting of “energy” was no longer done in Joules of gross energy requirement, but using different categories of “Joules” referring to different energy carriers (electricity, fuels and process heat). In order to apply the new protocol across different scales, it was applied to a large case study, by considering the metabolic pattern of European countries (EU27 + Norway). Moreover, this analysis was carried out across many levels, arriving to distinguish up to 13 subsectors inside the Manufacturing and Construction sector (Chapter 4). Finally, the last exploration of the potentialities of the approach was related to an attempt to include material flow accounting, starting with the analysis of the products produced and the level of imports and exports of a subsector of the industrial sector (Chapter 5). The analysis shows that the approach can be effectively used to: (i) identify relevant categories of production processes taking place at lower levels than subsectors, and (ii) characterize the level of openness of the subsectors (the degree of externalization to other socio-ecological systems). This last analysis was carried out for EU22 countries.
Between theory and quantification: An integrated analysis of metabolic patterns of informal urban settlements Journal Article
Kovacic, Zora; Giampietro, Mario
In: Energy Policy, 100 , pp. 377–386, 2017, ISSN: 03014215.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Brazil, Complexity, Energy poverty, Slums, Societal metabolism, South Africa
@article{Kovacic2017b,
title = {Between theory and quantification: An integrated analysis of metabolic patterns of informal urban settlements},
author = {Zora Kovacic and Mario Giampietro},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0301421516303524},
doi = {10.1016/j.enpol.2016.06.047},
issn = {03014215},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
journal = {Energy Policy},
volume = {100},
pages = {377--386},
publisher = {Elsevier},
abstract = {As informal urban settlements grow in size and population across the developing world, the issue of how to design and implement effective policies to provide for the needs and the aspirations of dwellers becomes ever more pressing. This paper addresses the challenge of how to characterise in quantitative terms the complex and fast-changing phenomenon of informal urban settlements without falling into oversimplification and a narrow focus on the material deficits of informal settlements. Energy policies are taken as an example to illustrate the shortcomings of oversimplification in producing policy relevant information. We adopt a semantically open representation of informal settlements that can capture the diversity of adaptive strategies used by different settlement typologies, based on the societal metabolism approach. Results show that as settlements grow in size and complexity, they remain economically and politically marginalised and fail to integrate into the city. We argue that in the case of energy policy, the analysis must go beyond the definition of problems such as access to energy at the level of the individual, and focus on a multi-scale assessment including the household and community levels studying the capacity of the household to increase it energy throughput through exosomatic devices and infrastructure.},
keywords = {Brazil, Complexity, Energy poverty, Slums, Societal metabolism, South Africa},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
As informal urban settlements grow in size and population across the developing world, the issue of how to design and implement effective policies to provide for the needs and the aspirations of dwellers becomes ever more pressing. This paper addresses the challenge of how to characterise in quantitative terms the complex and fast-changing phenomenon of informal urban settlements without falling into oversimplification and a narrow focus on the material deficits of informal settlements. Energy policies are taken as an example to illustrate the shortcomings of oversimplification in producing policy relevant information. We adopt a semantically open representation of informal settlements that can capture the diversity of adaptive strategies used by different settlement typologies, based on the societal metabolism approach. Results show that as settlements grow in size and complexity, they remain economically and politically marginalised and fail to integrate into the city. We argue that in the case of energy policy, the analysis must go beyond the definition of problems such as access to energy at the level of the individual, and focus on a multi-scale assessment including the household and community levels studying the capacity of the household to increase it energy throughput through exosomatic devices and infrastructure.
Analogy between Sudoku and the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal metabolism Journal Article
Giampietro, Mario; Bukkens, Sandra G. F.
In: Ecological Informatics, 26 (P1), pp. 18–28, 2015, ISSN: 15749541.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Integrated assessment, Multi-scale analysis, MuSIASEM, Mutual information, Societal metabolism, Sudoku
@article{Giampietro2015a,
title = {Analogy between Sudoku and the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal metabolism},
author = {Mario Giampietro and Sandra G. F. Bukkens},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1574954114001034},
doi = {10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.07.007},
issn = {15749541},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-03-01},
journal = {Ecological Informatics},
volume = {26},
number = {P1},
pages = {18--28},
abstract = {This paper illustrates the analogy between Sudoku and the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM). MuSIASEM is a transdisciplinary approach aimed at checking the viability, desirability and feasibility of actual and projected metabolic patterns of society. Building on Georgescu-Roegen's flow-fund model, it defines what the system is in terms of fund elements (human activity, managed land, power capacity), and what it does in terms of flow elements (energy, food, water, monetary flows). The accounting method of MuSIASEM generates a multi-scale, multi-dimensional representation of flow and fund elements that shares essential features with Sudoku, including mutual information and impredicativity between bottom-up and top-down causality. Data organization employed in MuSIASEM reveals the internal and external constraints that operate on the societal metabolic pattern and that determine its viability and feasibility domain. The dynamic equilibrium between the hypercyclic and dissipative macro-compartments of society expresses itself as a regional constraint on the viability of the metabolic pattern. The MuSIASEM approach is illustrated with case studies including the energy metabolism of Spain and the metabolic pattern of Mauritius.},
keywords = {Integrated assessment, Multi-scale analysis, MuSIASEM, Mutual information, Societal metabolism, Sudoku},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This paper illustrates the analogy between Sudoku and the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM). MuSIASEM is a transdisciplinary approach aimed at checking the viability, desirability and feasibility of actual and projected metabolic patterns of society. Building on Georgescu-Roegen's flow-fund model, it defines what the system is in terms of fund elements (human activity, managed land, power capacity), and what it does in terms of flow elements (energy, food, water, monetary flows). The accounting method of MuSIASEM generates a multi-scale, multi-dimensional representation of flow and fund elements that shares essential features with Sudoku, including mutual information and impredicativity between bottom-up and top-down causality. Data organization employed in MuSIASEM reveals the internal and external constraints that operate on the societal metabolic pattern and that determine its viability and feasibility domain. The dynamic equilibrium between the hypercyclic and dissipative macro-compartments of society expresses itself as a regional constraint on the viability of the metabolic pattern. The MuSIASEM approach is illustrated with case studies including the energy metabolism of Spain and the metabolic pattern of Mauritius.
The energy metabolism of China and India between 1971 and 2010: Studying the bifurcation Journal Article
Velasco-Fernández, Raúl; Ramos-Martín, Jesus; Giampietro, Mario
In: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 41 (1), pp. 1052–1066, 2015, ISSN: 13640321.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: China, Energy, India, Multi-scale integrated analysis, Societal metabolism, sustainability
@article{Velasco-Fernandez2015,
title = {The energy metabolism of China and India between 1971 and 2010: Studying the bifurcation},
author = {Ra\'{u}l Velasco-Fern\'{a}ndez and Jesus Ramos-Mart\'{i}n and Mario Giampietro},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1364032114007515},
doi = {10.1016/j.rser.2014.08.065},
issn = {13640321},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-01-01},
journal = {Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews},
volume = {41},
number = {1},
pages = {1052--1066},
abstract = {This paper presents a comparison of the changes in the energetic metabolic pattern of China and India, the two most populated countries in the world, with two economies undergoing an important economic transition. The comparison of the changes in the energetic metabolic pattern has the scope to characterize and explain a bifurcation in their evolutionary path in the recent years, using the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach. The analysis shows an impressive transformation of China's energy metabolism determined by the joining of the WTO in 2001. Since then, China became the largest factory of the world with a generalized capitalization of all sectors, especially the industrial sector, boosting economic labor productivity as well as total energy consumption. India, on the contrary, lags behind when considering these factors. Looking at changes in the household sector (energy metabolism associated with final consumption) in the case of China, the energetic metabolic rate (EMR) soared in the last decade, also thanks to a reduced growth of population, whereas in India it remained stagnant for the last 40 years. This analysis indicates a big challenge for India for the next decade. In the light of the data analyzed both countries will continue to require strong injections of technical capital requiring a continuous increase in their total energy consumption. When considering the size of these economies it is easy to guess that this may induce a dramatic increase in the price of energy, an event that at the moment will penalize much more the chance of a quick economic development of India.},
keywords = {China, Energy, India, Multi-scale integrated analysis, Societal metabolism, sustainability},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
This paper presents a comparison of the changes in the energetic metabolic pattern of China and India, the two most populated countries in the world, with two economies undergoing an important economic transition. The comparison of the changes in the energetic metabolic pattern has the scope to characterize and explain a bifurcation in their evolutionary path in the recent years, using the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach. The analysis shows an impressive transformation of China's energy metabolism determined by the joining of the WTO in 2001. Since then, China became the largest factory of the world with a generalized capitalization of all sectors, especially the industrial sector, boosting economic labor productivity as well as total energy consumption. India, on the contrary, lags behind when considering these factors. Looking at changes in the household sector (energy metabolism associated with final consumption) in the case of China, the energetic metabolic rate (EMR) soared in the last decade, also thanks to a reduced growth of population, whereas in India it remained stagnant for the last 40 years. This analysis indicates a big challenge for India for the next decade. In the light of the data analyzed both countries will continue to require strong injections of technical capital requiring a continuous increase in their total energy consumption. When considering the size of these economies it is easy to guess that this may induce a dramatic increase in the price of energy, an event that at the moment will penalize much more the chance of a quick economic development of India.
Land poverty and emerging ruralities in Cambodia: insights from Kampot province Journal Article
Scheidel, Arnim; Farrell, Katharine N.; Ramos-Martin, Jesús; Giampietro, Mario; Mayumi, Kozo
In: Environment, Development and Sustainability, 16 (4), pp. 823–840, 2014, ISSN: 1387-585X.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Cambodia, Emerging ruralities, Land poverty, Livelihood strategies, Smallholder agriculture, Societal metabolism
@article{Scheidel2014,
title = {Land poverty and emerging ruralities in Cambodia: insights from Kampot province},
author = {Arnim Scheidel and Katharine N. Farrell and Jes\'{u}s Ramos-Martin and Mario Giampietro and Kozo Mayumi},
url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-014-9529-6},
doi = {10.1007/s10668-014-9529-6},
issn = {1387-585X},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-08-01},
journal = {Environment, Development and Sustainability},
volume = {16},
number = {4},
pages = {823--840},
abstract = {Rural change in Cambodia manifests itself in rapidly declining land availability for the smallholder sector, posing the question of how farmers may be able to deal with limited access to land. In this paper, we discuss with a case study village and household livelihood strategies of smallholders currently operating under land-constrained conditions. Based on an integrated assessment of a smallholder village in Kampot province, we illustrate in quantitative terms how land shortage is creating problems of surplus generation and liquidity issues in monetary and non-monetary flows. At the household level, livelihood diversification based on the involvement of productive resources other than land may play an increasing role, particularly in the future, when levels of land shortage may increase. At the village level, smallholder may respond through institutional innovation, in particular through the establishment of a community banking system and a paddy rice bank to provide money and rice credits to overcome transitory shortages and to cover investment costs for additional productive resources. Thus, in this case, we observe the emergence of new patterns of livelihood in rural areas, based on the integration of non-land-based economic activities and new institutional settings. textcopyright 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.},
keywords = {Cambodia, Emerging ruralities, Land poverty, Livelihood strategies, Smallholder agriculture, Societal metabolism},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Rural change in Cambodia manifests itself in rapidly declining land availability for the smallholder sector, posing the question of how farmers may be able to deal with limited access to land. In this paper, we discuss with a case study village and household livelihood strategies of smallholders currently operating under land-constrained conditions. Based on an integrated assessment of a smallholder village in Kampot province, we illustrate in quantitative terms how land shortage is creating problems of surplus generation and liquidity issues in monetary and non-monetary flows. At the household level, livelihood diversification based on the involvement of productive resources other than land may play an increasing role, particularly in the future, when levels of land shortage may increase. At the village level, smallholder may respond through institutional innovation, in particular through the establishment of a community banking system and a paddy rice bank to provide money and rice credits to overcome transitory shortages and to cover investment costs for additional productive resources. Thus, in this case, we observe the emergence of new patterns of livelihood in rural areas, based on the integration of non-land-based economic activities and new institutional settings. textcopyright 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
An assessment of the metabolic profile implied by agricultural change in two rural communities in the North of Argentina Journal Article
Arizpe, Nancy; Ramos-Martín, Jesús; Giampietro, Mario
In: Environment, Development and Sustainability, 16 (4), pp. 903–924, 2014, ISSN: 1387-585X.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Biophysical accounting, Chaco, Land-time budget analysis, Multi-scale integrated analysis, Rural development, Societal metabolism, Soy expansion
@article{Arizpe2014,
title = {An assessment of the metabolic profile implied by agricultural change in two rural communities in the North of Argentina},
author = {Nancy Arizpe and Jes\'{u}s Ramos-Mart\'{i}n and Mario Giampietro},
url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10668-014-9532-y},
doi = {10.1007/s10668-014-9532-y},
issn = {1387-585X},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-08-01},
journal = {Environment, Development and Sustainability},
volume = {16},
number = {4},
pages = {903--924},
abstract = {The soy expansion model in Argentina generates structural changes in traditional lifestyles, which can be associated with different biophysical and socioeconomic impacts. To explore this issue, we apply an innovative method for integrated assessment-the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism framework-to characterize two communities in the Chaco Region, Province of Formosa, North of Argentina. These communities have recently experienced the expansion of soy production, altering their economic activity, energy consumption patterns, land use and human time allocation. The integrated characterization presented in the paper illustrates the differences (biophysical, socioeconomic and historical) between the two communities that can be associated with different responses. The analysis of the factors behind these differences has important policy implications for the sustainable development of local communities in the area. textcopyright 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.},
keywords = {Biophysical accounting, Chaco, Land-time budget analysis, Multi-scale integrated analysis, Rural development, Societal metabolism, Soy expansion},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The soy expansion model in Argentina generates structural changes in traditional lifestyles, which can be associated with different biophysical and socioeconomic impacts. To explore this issue, we apply an innovative method for integrated assessment-the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism framework-to characterize two communities in the Chaco Region, Province of Formosa, North of Argentina. These communities have recently experienced the expansion of soy production, altering their economic activity, energy consumption patterns, land use and human time allocation. The integrated characterization presented in the paper illustrates the differences (biophysical, socioeconomic and historical) between the two communities that can be associated with different responses. The analysis of the factors behind these differences has important policy implications for the sustainable development of local communities in the area. textcopyright 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
The energetic metabolism of societies and the degrowth paradigm: analyzing biophysical constraints and realities Journal Article
Sorman, Alevgul H.; Giampietro, Mario
In: Journal of Cleaner Production, 38 , pp. 80–93, 2013, ISSN: 09596526.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Degrowth, Energetic metabolism, IPAT, Net energy, Societal metabolism
@article{Sorman2013,
title = {The energetic metabolism of societies and the degrowth paradigm: analyzing biophysical constraints and realities},
author = {Alevgul H. Sorman and Mario Giampietro},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652611004987},
doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.11.059},
issn = {09596526},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-01-01},
journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},
volume = {38},
pages = {80--93},
abstract = {The belief that it is possible to have a perpetual "economic growth" based on fossil energy has been challenged since the 1970s. However, only in the last decade is this issue re-emerging once again because of the predicaments of climate change and peak oil. Many, finally start to perceive that an "economic degrowth" entailing a downscaling of the current size and pattern of socio-economic systems seem unavoidable. In this paper we analyze the implications, the feasibility and the desirability of possible trajectories of downscaling from an energetic perspective. The quantitative analysis is based on the methodological approach of societal metabolism, and it provides a dynamic accounting of the profile of energy flows required and consumed by societies in relation the expression of a given set of societal functions. This analysis makes it possible to check two types of constraints: external constraints (supply and sink side limits for the whole) and internal constraints (the feasibility of energy budget of the various parts of the society expressing the required functions). The analysis of the metabolic pattern of a sample of developed countries is used to discuss possible implications of: (i) demographic changes; (ii) the declining supply of net energy sources, and (iii) the effects of the Jevons' Paradox. Within such an analysis, a few assumptions and recipes of the degrowth movement seem problematic: (i) population is and will remain as a relevant variable to be considered; (ii) the proposed reduction in working hours seem to be impractical unless a major catastrophe will reset current civilization to pre-industrial standards; and (iii) voluntary reduction of personal energy consumption, even if a welcome adjustment, alone will not solve the existing problems. In the final part of the paper, future energetic road maps are questioned within the realm of post-normal science. Can we "plan" degrowth? If we are serious about the need of doing "something completely different", societies will have to learn how to deliberate under uncertainty within the realms of flexible management and stop planning for either growth or degrowth. Moreover, before suggesting policies, it would be wise first to try to understand the option space. textcopyright 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.},
keywords = {Degrowth, Energetic metabolism, IPAT, Net energy, Societal metabolism},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The belief that it is possible to have a perpetual "economic growth" based on fossil energy has been challenged since the 1970s. However, only in the last decade is this issue re-emerging once again because of the predicaments of climate change and peak oil. Many, finally start to perceive that an "economic degrowth" entailing a downscaling of the current size and pattern of socio-economic systems seem unavoidable. In this paper we analyze the implications, the feasibility and the desirability of possible trajectories of downscaling from an energetic perspective. The quantitative analysis is based on the methodological approach of societal metabolism, and it provides a dynamic accounting of the profile of energy flows required and consumed by societies in relation the expression of a given set of societal functions. This analysis makes it possible to check two types of constraints: external constraints (supply and sink side limits for the whole) and internal constraints (the feasibility of energy budget of the various parts of the society expressing the required functions). The analysis of the metabolic pattern of a sample of developed countries is used to discuss possible implications of: (i) demographic changes; (ii) the declining supply of net energy sources, and (iii) the effects of the Jevons' Paradox. Within such an analysis, a few assumptions and recipes of the degrowth movement seem problematic: (i) population is and will remain as a relevant variable to be considered; (ii) the proposed reduction in working hours seem to be impractical unless a major catastrophe will reset current civilization to pre-industrial standards; and (iii) voluntary reduction of personal energy consumption, even if a welcome adjustment, alone will not solve the existing problems. In the final part of the paper, future energetic road maps are questioned within the realm of post-normal science. Can we "plan" degrowth? If we are serious about the need of doing "something completely different", societies will have to learn how to deliberate under uncertainty within the realms of flexible management and stop planning for either growth or degrowth. Moreover, before suggesting policies, it would be wise first to try to understand the option space. textcopyright 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM): Theoretical concepts and basic rationale Journal Article
Giampietro, Mario; Mayumi, Kozo; Ramos-Martin, Jesus
In: Energy, 34 (3), pp. 313–322, 2009, ISSN: 03605442.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Exosomatic energy, Impredicative loop analysis, Multi-purpose grammars, Multi-scale integrated analysis, MuSIASEM, Societal metabolism, Sudoku effect
@article{Giampietro2009a,
title = {Multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM): Theoretical concepts and basic rationale},
author = {Mario Giampietro and Kozo Mayumi and Jesus Ramos-Martin},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0360544208001965},
doi = {10.1016/j.energy.2008.07.020},
issn = {03605442},
year = {2009},
date = {2009-03-01},
journal = {Energy},
volume = {34},
number = {3},
pages = {313--322},
abstract = {The multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach makes it possible to perform a check on the feasibility and desirability of patterns of metabolism of socio-economic systems by providing a characterization at different levels and scales of: (a) the performance of socio-economic activities (for households, enterprises, economic sectors, national economies, world economy) and (b) ecological constraints (micro, meso, macro) by looking at the interference that the metabolism of matter and energy flows controlled by human activity induces on the expected pattern of metabolism of matter and energy flows associated with the self-organization of natural ecosystems. This paper presents three theoretical concepts behind the analytical approach MuSIASEM: (1) how to represent the endosomatic and exosomatic metabolism of societies using Georgescu-Roegen's flow-fund scheme; (2) how to generate a Sudoku effect across representations of different units of production and consumption defined at different levels; and (3) how to perform an impredicative loop analysis when dealing with changes (evolution) of the characteristics of dynamic budgets of metabolized flows, represented across different scales. Since sustainability deals with "becoming systems"-systems becoming something else in their process of evolution-an analysis of sustainability must adopt analytical tools semantically open in their representation of change. MuSIASEM can do that since it is a "multi-purpose grammar", which can be used for building a shared perception and representation of this "becoming" when studying sustainability. That is, it entails an agreement on an expected set of relations between "relevant semantic categories" and "pertinent formal categories" across hierarchical levels and across different narratives; for this reason it represents a clear discontinuity from models developed within the paradigm of reductionism to deal with the issue of sustainability. textcopyright 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.},
keywords = {Exosomatic energy, Impredicative loop analysis, Multi-purpose grammars, Multi-scale integrated analysis, MuSIASEM, Societal metabolism, Sudoku effect},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach makes it possible to perform a check on the feasibility and desirability of patterns of metabolism of socio-economic systems by providing a characterization at different levels and scales of: (a) the performance of socio-economic activities (for households, enterprises, economic sectors, national economies, world economy) and (b) ecological constraints (micro, meso, macro) by looking at the interference that the metabolism of matter and energy flows controlled by human activity induces on the expected pattern of metabolism of matter and energy flows associated with the self-organization of natural ecosystems. This paper presents three theoretical concepts behind the analytical approach MuSIASEM: (1) how to represent the endosomatic and exosomatic metabolism of societies using Georgescu-Roegen's flow-fund scheme; (2) how to generate a Sudoku effect across representations of different units of production and consumption defined at different levels; and (3) how to perform an impredicative loop analysis when dealing with changes (evolution) of the characteristics of dynamic budgets of metabolized flows, represented across different scales. Since sustainability deals with "becoming systems"-systems becoming something else in their process of evolution-an analysis of sustainability must adopt analytical tools semantically open in their representation of change. MuSIASEM can do that since it is a "multi-purpose grammar", which can be used for building a shared perception and representation of this "becoming" when studying sustainability. That is, it entails an agreement on an expected set of relations between "relevant semantic categories" and "pertinent formal categories" across hierarchical levels and across different narratives; for this reason it represents a clear discontinuity from models developed within the paradigm of reductionism to deal with the issue of sustainability. textcopyright 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
AGAUR Grant ID 2017 SGR 230 / Copyright © 2023