Publications

@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}

}

@article{Chen2021,

title = {Residential energy metabolic patterns in China: A study of the urbanization process},

author = {Lei Chen and Linyu Xu and Ra\'{u}l Velasco-Fern\'{a}ndez and Mario Giampietro and Zhifeng Yang},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0360544220321289},

doi = {10.1016/j.energy.2020.119021},

issn = {03605442},

year  = {2021},

date = {2021-01-01},

journal = {Energy},

volume = {215},

pages = {119021},

abstract = {textcopyright 2020 Elsevier Ltd With the expansion of the acceleration of the urbanization process, China experienced a corresponding high demand for energy, which led to significant changes in energy metabolic patterns. The application of the MultiScale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach facilitates the study of the factors that determined the impressive transformation of China's residential energy metabolism since 2000. The findings revealed that the year 2009 was a turning point, when the household hours of urban areas exceeded those of rural regions. Before 2009, the residential energy metabolic rate remained relatively stable, the domination of biofuels delayed the increase in the energy metabolic rate (EMR). With the rise in the rapid growth of non-basic living energy demand, the EMR of households has rapidly increased after 2009. A complete decomposition analysis of the EMRs showed that the increase in residential metabolism was dragged down by the urbanization effect from rural households. Moreover, in respect to the energy carriers, the urbanization effect accounted for less than 10% of the total changes in the fuel and electricity EMR, which indicates that energy performance, in regard to the lifestyles in both urban and rural households, will bring about new challenges to China's energy-saving and energy structure refining policies.},

keywords = {China, Energy metabolic pattern, MuSIASEM, Urbanization},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@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}

}

@article{Marcos-Valls2020,

title = {Isolated yet open: A metabolic analysis of Menorca},

author = {Alejandro Marcos-Valls and Zora Kovacic and Mario Giampietro and Giorgos Kallis and Joan Rieradevall},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0048969720327388},

doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139221},

issn = {00489697},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-10-01},

journal = {Science of The Total Environment},

volume = {738},

pages = {139221},

publisher = {Elsevier},

abstract = {Small islands are vulnerable to climate change, and at the same time contribute to local and global environmental problems with the intensification of tourist activities. Whereas there are many studies on the resource requirements or environmental impacts of small islands, there are few efforts to integrate information that is often analysed separately. Metabolic analysis, beyond quantifying biophysical flows, studies how society transforms these flows to reproduce the identity of the whole. This study applies the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach, to analyse the environmental and economic performance of different economic activities in the Mediterranean island of Menorca (Spain). The openness of the metabolic system (observed in the dependence on imports) and externalization of environmental impact are illustrated using the examples of the cheese and tourist industry. The results show that a higher economic performance in terms of value added is associated with activities in industry and services with a larger dependence on imports of “external resources” \textendash fuel for transportation, milk for cheese, seasonal workers and “paying capacity” of tourists. This dependence reduces local environmental pressures and also adaptation capacity, since decisions made in Menorca may have limited impact elsewhere. Local agriculture depends less on external resources but it is limited by the low economic productivity of land and labour. An integrated analysis of the relations between metabolic rates and densities of flows in the different compartments of the society provides a holistic picture of sustainability issues and can contribute to decision-making by avoiding partial information.},

keywords = {Energy, Human activities, Mediterranean islands, MuSIASEM, Socio-ecological metabolism, Water},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Cadillo-Benalcazar2020a,

title = {Multi-scale integrated evaluation of the sustainability of large-scale use of alternative feeds in salmon aquaculture},

author = {Juan J. Cadillo-Benalcazar and Mario Giampietro and Sandra G. F. Bukkens and Roger Strand},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959652619340806},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119210},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-03-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

volume = {248},

pages = {119210},

publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},

abstract = {The steady increase in production volume of salmon aquaculture has sharpened concerns about its sustainability. In particular the production of salmon feed is a reason for concern given its reliance on scarce natural resources, such as wild fish captures. Multi-scale integrated analysis is put forward as a tool to anticipate the environmental and socio-economic impacts of large-scale implementation of alternative salmon feeds, considering both plant and insect sources as potential replacements of fish meal and fish oil. The proposed accounting framework, based on relational analysis across hierarchical levels, describes the patterns of required inputs using biophysical and economic variables. It also considers the inputs used by external systems for the production of imported feed, thus providing a coherent assessment of the sustainability of the production system in terms of feasibility, viability, and desirability. The analytical tool-kit is illustrated in conceptual terms and then applied to the Norwegian salmon aquaculture, both in diagnostic (describing the actual situation) and anticipatory mode (examining feed scenarios). Results are used in an exercise of quantitative story-telling to check the quality of the narratives currently shaping policy discussions on aquaculture. Quantitative story-telling is a heuristic approach aimed at checking the robustness of knowledge claims in face of uncertainty. It is concluded that rearing insects in the salmon feed production chain enlarges the option space of feed sources by opening up the possibility of using locally-produced seaweed and organic waste, but also raises the level of uncertainty with regard to the possible insurgence of negative side effects.},

keywords = {Alternative aquafeeds, Insects, MuSIASEM, Norway, Quantitative story-telling, Salmon aquaculture},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@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}

}

@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}

}

@article{Fierro2019,

title = {Multi-scale integrated assessment of second generation bioethanol for transport sector in the Campania Region},

author = {Angelo Fierro and Annachiara Forte and Amalia Zucaro and Roberto Micera and Mario Giampietro},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.244},

doi = {10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.01.244},

issn = {09596526},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-01-01},

journal = {Journal of Cleaner Production},

volume = {217},

number = {2019},

pages = {409--422},

publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},

abstract = {Current narrative on biofuels is backed up by a large number of studies published in the scientific literature that address second-generation bioethanol only through a single topic approach, nonetheless in the vast majority of cases transition to this energy carrier is evaluated as a generally ‘promising' technology. This paper presents a first attempt in proposing an integrated evaluation of the actual benefits expected from bioethanol in the transport sector, by applying the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) to the prospective realization of a local system of bio-refinery in Campania Region (Southern Italy). MuSIASEM is a multi-criteria analysis enabling to deal with the complexity of a territorial energy system. Since the unavoidable intrinsic uncertainty, the study does not focus on predictions, but adopts a strategy of Quantitative Story-Telling about some relevant results underlying the limits and critical issues about the energy converter fabric, the economic profitability, environmental constraints and the questionable concept of marginal land. The findings suggest concluding toward falsification of key points in the current narrative: (i) the system is not an efficient solar energy converter; (ii) it fails to realize many of the expectations for a renewable energy carrier producer; (iii) the contribution to decarbonization strategies is not as high as desired and other environmental impacts could not be neglected; (iv) the very large land requirement is hardly compatible with conversion of truly marginal land in Campania region; (v) compared to alternate land uses it does not seem an actually promising strategy to regain value from rural economy.},

keywords = {Economic profit, Energy converter, Marginal lands, MuSIASEM, Second generation bioethanol},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Perez-Sanchez2019,

title = {Characterizing the metabolic pattern of urban systems using MuSIASEM: The case of Barcelona},

author = {Laura P\'{e}rez-S\'{a}nchez and Mario Giampietro and Ra\'{u}l Velasco-Fern\'{a}ndez and Maddalena Ripa},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.09.028},

doi = {10.1016/j.enpol.2018.09.028},

issn = {03014215},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-01-01},

journal = {Energy Policy},

volume = {124},

number = {March 2018},

pages = {13--22},

publisher = {Elsevier Ltd},

abstract = {The extreme degree of openness of contemporary urban systems with regard to both economy and population creates a serious challenge for the study of urban energy metabolism. A novel tool based on Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) is proposed to overcome these challenges. It consists of an end-use matrix, a coherent multi-level integrated characterization of the uses of different forms of energy carriers (electricity, heat, fuels) for the various tasks performed in the city, including private and public mobility, tourism, commercial and residential activities. The end-use matrix integrates quantitative data referring to different dimensions (i.e. energy, human activity, land use, value added) and hierarchical (economic sectors and functional elements at lower levels) and spatial scales (i.e. individual buildings, neighborhoods, and the city as a whole). The end-use matrix provides information on both extensive (flows) and intensive variables (flow/fund ratios or benchmarks). Benchmarks are important for policy-making and allow a meaningful comparison of energy performance across hierarchical levels within the urban system, and among different urban systems. The approach is illustrated for Barcelona, a global city characterized by an important service sector.},

keywords = {Cities, End-use matrix, Energy, MuSIASEM, Time allocation, Urban metabolism},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Serrano-Tovar2019,

title = {Structuring an integrated water-energy-food nexus assessment of a local wind energy desalination system for irrigation},

author = {T. Serrano-Tovar and Baltasar Pe\~{n}ate Su\'{a}rez and Ana Musicki and Juan A. Fuente Bencomo and Violeta Cabello and M. Giampietro},

url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.422},

doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.422},

issn = {18791026},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-01-01},

journal = {Science of the Total Environment},

volume = {689},

pages = {945--957},

publisher = {The Authors},

abstract = {Desalination is increasingly put forward as a sustainable local solution to water scarcity in combination with the exploitation of renewable energy sources. However, the complexity of the resource nexus entails the unavoidable existence of pros and cons across its various dimensions that can only be assessed at different scales of analysis. In turn, these pros and cons entail different winners and losers among the different social actors linked through the nexus. To address these challenges, a novel approach to resource nexus assessment is put forward, based on multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM) and recognizing the resource nexus as a wicked problem. The integrated representation identifies the existence of biophysical constraints determined by processes both under human control (in the technosphere) and beyond human control (in the biosphere). The approach is illustrated with a local case study of desalination in the Canary Islands, Spain. The material presented has been generated in the context of the project “Moving towards adaptive governance in complexity: Informing nexus security” (MAGIC) for use in participatory processes of co-production of knowledge claims about desalination, a prerequisite for informed policy deliberation.},

keywords = {Canary Islands, Desalination, MuSIASEM, Renewable energy, WEF nexus, Wicked problem},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Chifari2018,

title = {A holistic framework for the integrated assessment of urban waste management systems},

author = {Rosaria Chifari and Samuele Lo Piano and Sandra G. F. Bukkens and Mario Giampietro},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1470160X16301108},

doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.03.006},

issn = {1470160X},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-11-01},

journal = {Ecological Indicators},

volume = {94},

pages = {24--36},

abstract = {textcopyright 2016 Elsevier Ltd. We report on the development of a holistic framework to organize and integrate quantitative information characterizing the performance of Urban Waste Management Systems (UWMS) across dimensions and scales. The framework builds on the theory of metabolic networks and the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) accounting method. We perceive the UWMS as an organ of a socio-ecological system that modulates the interaction between the metabolic processes of the urban area and those of the embedding ecosystems providing inputs and local sink capacity. Building on these premises, we can define: (i) the flow of wastes produced by the urban system in quantity and quality; (ii) the mix of inputs required for the operation of the different stages of the waste management process, such as technology, labor, energy, water and material flows; (iii) the degree of openness of the system, that is, the imports and exports of urban waste flows in the different stages of its operation; (iv) the final outputs released into the local environment. The proposed framework can accommodate various indicators referring to the socio-economic performance of the UWMS (viability and desirability) and those related to environmental impact/stress (feasibility). Theoretical considerations are illustrated with preliminary data from a case study on the Metropolitan Area of Naples, Italy.},

keywords = {Metabolic network, MuSIASEM, Naples, Performance indicators, Socio-ecological system, Urban waste management system},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Velasco-Fernandez2018,

title = {Analyzing the energy performance of manufacturing across levels using the end-use matrix},

author = {Ra\'{u}l Velasco-Fern\'{a}ndez and Mario Giampietro and Sandra G. F. Bukkens},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0360544218314191},

doi = {10.1016/j.energy.2018.07.122},

issn = {03605442},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-10-01},

journal = {Energy},

volume = {161},

pages = {559--572},

abstract = {Within the context of the controversial use of the concept energy intensity to assess national energy performance, this paper proposes an innovative accounting framework: the energy end-use matrix. This tool integrates quantitative assessments of energy use of the various constituent compartments of socio-economic systems. More specifically it identifies, moving across levels of analysis, what compartments (or sub-compartments) are using what type of energy carriers for what type of end-use. This analysis is integrated with an assessment of labor requirements and the associated flows of value added. The end-use matrix thus integrates in a coherent way quantitative assessments across different dimensions and hierarchical scales and facilitates the development of integrated sets of indicators. In this way it contributes to a multi-criteria characterization of national or sectoral energy performance. The tool is illustrated with an analysis of three EU countries: Bulgaria, Finland and Spain. Challenges to improving the usefulness of biophysical analysis of the efficiency of the industrial sector are identified and discussed. Increasing the discriminatory power of quantitative analysis through better data standardization by statistical offices is the major challenge.},

keywords = {End-use matrix, Energy efficiency, Energy intensity, Industrial sector, Manufacturing, MuSIASEM},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Gonzalez-Lopez2018,

title = {Relational analysis of the oil and gas sector of Mexico: Implications for Mexico's energy reform},

author = {Rafael Gonz\'{a}lez-L\'{o}pez and Mario Giampietro},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0360544218307503},

doi = {10.1016/j.energy.2018.04.134},

issn = {03605442},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-07-01},

journal = {Energy},

volume = {154},

pages = {403--414},

abstract = {textcopyright 2018 Elsevier Ltd This paper describes a novel tool-kit to analyze energy systems in relation to the bio-economic and environmental performance of society. It is illustrated with data from the oil and gas sector of Mexico. The approach combines relational analysis (as developed in theoretical biology) and Multi-Scale Integrated Assessment of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM). It integrates two non-equivalent views of the functioning of the oil and gas system starting from the identification and description of the relations between functional and structural elements. The metabolic pattern of the energy system is described as a sequential pathway generated by different functional elements (e.g., extraction, refining, transportation), each of which is made up of different structural elements (e.g., plants adopting different extraction techniques, diverse types of refineries, different methods of transportation), and operating at a given level of openness (imports and exports). The relations found over the elements of the energy system are described both in functional terms (what/why) and in spatial terms (where/how). The policy relevance of the information generated is discussed in relation to the Mexican Energy Reform.},

keywords = {energy system, Integrated assessment, Mexico's Energy Reform, MuSIASEM, oil and gas sector, Relational analysis},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Giampietro2018,

title = {Unraveling the Complexity of the Jevons Paradox: The Link Between Innovation, Efficiency, and Sustainability},

author = {Mario Giampietro and Kozo Mayumi},

url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fenrg.2018.00026/full},

doi = {10.3389/fenrg.2018.00026},

issn = {2296-598X},

year  = {2018},

date = {2018-04-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Energy Research},

volume = {6},

number = {APR},

pages = {26},

abstract = {textcopyright 2018 Giampietro and Mayumi. The term "Jevons Paradox" flags the need to consider the different hierarchical scales at which a system under analysis changes its identity in response to an innovation. Accordingly, an analysis of the implications of the Jevons Paradox must abandon the realm of reductionism and deal with the complexity inherent in the issue of sustainability: when studying evolution and real change how can we define "what has to be sustained" in a system that continuously becomes something else? In an attempt to address this question this paper presents three theoretical concepts foreign to conventional scientific analysis: (i) complex adaptive systems-to address the peculiar characteristics of learning and self-producing systems; (ii) holons and holarchy-to explain the implications of the ambiguity found when observing the relation between functional and structural elements across different scales (steady-state vs. evolution); and (iii) Holling's adaptive cycle-to illustrate the existence of different phases in the evolutionary trajectory of a complex adaptive system interacting with its context in which either external or internal constraints can become limiting. These concepts are used to explain systemic drivers of the Jevons Paradox. Looking at society's thermodynamic foundations, sustainability is based on a dynamic balance of two contrasting principles regulating the evolution of complex adaptive systems: the minimum entropy production and the maximum energy flux. The co-existence of these two principles explains why in different situations innovation has to play a different role in the "sustainable development" of society: (i) when society is not subject to external biophysical constraints improvements in efficiency serve to increase the final consumption of society and expand its diversity of functions and structures; (ii) when the expansion of society is limited by external constraints improvements in efficiency should be used to avoid as much as possible the loss of the existing diversity. It is concluded that sustainability cannot be achieved by technological innovations alone, but requires a continuous process of institutional and behavioral adjustment.},

keywords = {Complex adaptive system, Complexity theory, Energy efficiency, Holon, Innovation, Jevons paradox, MuSIASEM, Rebound effect},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Gonzalez-Lopez2017,

title = {Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Charcoal Production in Complex Social-Ecological Systems},

author = {Rafael Gonz\'{a}lez-L\'{o}pez and Mario Giampietro},

url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fenvs.2017.00054/full},

doi = {10.3389/fenvs.2017.00054},

issn = {2296-665X},

year  = {2017},

date = {2017-08-01},

journal = {Frontiers in Environmental Science},

volume = {5},

pages = {54},

abstract = {textcopyright 2017 Gonz\'{a}lez-L\'{o}pez and Giampietro. We propose and illustrate a multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM) as a tool to bring nexus thinking into practice. MuSIASEM studies the relations over the structural and functional components of social-ecological systems that determine the entanglement of water, energy, and food flows in a complex metabolic pattern. MuSIASEM simultaneously considers various dimensions and multiple scales of analysis and therefore avoids the predicament of quantitative analysis based on reductionism (one dimension and one scale at the time). The different functional elements of society (the parts) are characterized using the concept of "processor," that is, a profile of expected inputs and outputs associated with the expression of a specific function. The processors of the functional elements of the social-ecological system can be either scaled-up to describe the metabolic pattern of the system as a whole, or scaled-down by considering the characteristics of its lower-level parts-i.e., the different processors associated with the structural elements required to express the specific function. An analysis of functional elements provides insight in the socio-economic factors that pose internal constraints on the development of the system. An analysis of structural elements makes it possible to study the compatibility of the system with external constraints (availability of natural resources and ecological services) in spatial terms. The usefulness of the approach is illustrated in relation to an example of the use of charcoal in a rural village of Laos.},

keywords = {Charcoal, Metabolic pattern, MuSIASEM, Relational analysis, Social-ecological system},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Aragao2016,

title = {An integrated multi-scale approach to assess the performance of energy systems illustrated with data from the Brazilian oil and natural gas sector},

author = {Amanda Arag\~{a}o and Mario Giampietro},

url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0360544216308325},

doi = {10.1016/j.energy.2016.06.058},

issn = {03605442},

year  = {2016},

date = {2016-11-01},

journal = {Energy},

volume = {115},

pages = {1412--1423},

abstract = {We apply Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) to the performance of society's energy system, and illustrate our approach with data from the Brazilian oil and natural gas sector. Key features of MuSIASEM include the multi-scale property and use of grammars. The former builds on a dual definition of the energy system: functional components or (sub)sectors are described as aggregate energy flows (extensive variables) using top-down information from statistics, while structural components (plants, technologies) are described as unitary operations (intensive variables). Integrating descriptions, we can scale information across the energy system's complex hierarchical organization. Use of an energy grammar mandates the pre-analytical definition of accounting categories, primary energy sources and energy carriers; thermal (e.g., fuels) and mechanical energy (e.g., electricity), and a set of expected relations over the different energy forms. Our preliminary analysis shows that MuSIASEM effectively describes the required investment of energy carriers (in quantity and quality) and other production factors, such as labor, in society's energy sector.},

keywords = {Brazil, energy system, Integrated assessment, MuSIASEM, Natural gas, Oil},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{Madrid-Lopez2015,

title = {The Water Metabolism of Socio-Ecological Systems: Reflections and a Conceptual Framework},

author = {Cristina Madrid-L\'{o}pez and Mario Giampietro},

url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jiec.12340},

doi = {10.1111/jiec.12340},

issn = {10881980},

year  = {2015},

date = {2015-10-01},

journal = {Journal of Industrial Ecology},

volume = {19},

number = {5},

pages = {853--865},

abstract = {Water accounting is an unresolved issue in metabolism studies. Through epistemological analysis, we show that the problem resides in the conceptualization of social metabolism. Social metabolism has its origins in the analysis of societal energetics, which has led to an exclusive focus on society and a representation based on linear throughputs at a single scale. Whereas fossil energy resources constitute a mere stock flow for society, water constitutes a set of both funds and flows essential for the maintenance of the internal organization and stability of society and ecosystems. This means that societies and ecosystems need water for different reasons. Consequently, the analysis of water requires the simultaneous adoption of multiple narratives and scales. The development of hydrology toward a socio-eco-hydrology (SE-hydrology) deals with this multidimensionality, but lacks a conceptualization of the coupled human-water system useful to integrate the assessment of water processes at different rates and scales. We propose a conceptual framework, based on the multiscale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism approach, that combines the perspectives of SE-hydrology and social metabolism. This framework describes society and the embedding ecosystem as two distinct levels of the same hierarchical system (i.e., the socioecological system), expressing two distinct, but tightly interconnected, metabolic patterns (societal and ecosystem) at different spatiotemporal scales. Using food grain production in Punjab as an example, we show that this framework can accommodate the multiple interpretations of social metabolism found in different scientific fields.},

keywords = {industrial ecology, MuSIASEM, Punjab, Scale issues, Socio-eco-hydrology, Water accounting},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}