Publications
Perception and Representation of the Resource Nexus at the Interface between Society and the Natural Environment Journal Article
Giampietro, Mario
In: Sustainability, 10 (7), pp. 2545, 2018, ISSN: 2071-1050.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Buzzword, Complex systems, Metabolic pattern, Relational analysis, Resource nexus, Semiotic process, Social-ecological system
@article{Giampietro2018a,
title = {Perception and Representation of the Resource Nexus at the Interface between Society and the Natural Environment},
author = {Mario Giampietro},
url = {http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/7/2545},
doi = {10.3390/su10072545},
issn = {2071-1050},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-07-01},
journal = {Sustainability},
volume = {10},
number = {7},
pages = {2545},
abstract = {Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the resource nexus. This has created the co-existence of different understandings and uses of the concept. In this regard, experiences in the EU H2020 project ‘Moving towards adaptive governance in complexity: Informing nexus security' are consistent with findings reported in the literature: (i) The inconvenient message of the nexus is difficult to get across, it being incompatible with the currently dominant rosy narratives about sustainability. Indeed, from a historic perspective, the nexus can be seen as a revival of the ideological fight between cornucopians and neo-Malthusians; (ii) Silo structures in existing institutions are a problem for the governance of the nexus, and so is the resulting reductionist strategy of addressing and fixing one issue at the time; (iii) Scientific inquiry is currently not providing the quality inputs needed for a meaningful discussion of the resource nexus. Entanglement of resource flows is rooted in the complex metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems, the analysis of which requires a complex systems approach and relational analysis. Contemporary reductionist models simply make the nexus invisible to the analyst.},
keywords = {Buzzword, Complex systems, Metabolic pattern, Relational analysis, Resource nexus, Semiotic process, Social-ecological system},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the resource nexus. This has created the co-existence of different understandings and uses of the concept. In this regard, experiences in the EU H2020 project ‘Moving towards adaptive governance in complexity: Informing nexus security' are consistent with findings reported in the literature: (i) The inconvenient message of the nexus is difficult to get across, it being incompatible with the currently dominant rosy narratives about sustainability. Indeed, from a historic perspective, the nexus can be seen as a revival of the ideological fight between cornucopians and neo-Malthusians; (ii) Silo structures in existing institutions are a problem for the governance of the nexus, and so is the resulting reductionist strategy of addressing and fixing one issue at the time; (iii) Scientific inquiry is currently not providing the quality inputs needed for a meaningful discussion of the resource nexus. Entanglement of resource flows is rooted in the complex metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems, the analysis of which requires a complex systems approach and relational analysis. Contemporary reductionist models simply make the nexus invisible to the analyst.
The water metabolism of socio-ecosystems. Epistemology, methods and applications PhD Thesis
López, Cristina Madrid
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2014, ISBN: 9788449050541.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Agriculture, Complex systems, Integrated Water Resources Management, MuSIASEM, Socio-ecological system, Virtual Water
@phdthesis{MadridLopez2014,
title = {The water metabolism of socio-ecosystems. Epistemology, methods and applications},
author = {Cristina Madrid L\'{o}pez},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/285540},
isbn = {9788449050541},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-01-01},
pages = {300},
school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},
abstract = {The research line presented in this dissertation is a first attempt to provide a bridge for the communication between Hydrological studies and Social Metabolism. It was born from the observation that water is neglected in Social Metabolism and that current water science, while certain about the need of evolving towards a more interdisciplinary field, still faces challenges in the connection of social and ecosystem analyses. The contribution made here is the definition of an analytical framework \textendashthe Water Metabolism of Socioecosystems- where this connection can be established and which is formed by a conceptual proposal and a methodological toolkit. The document is divided in three parts where the epistemological, the methodological and the formal novelties of the framework are discussed. Part I covers the epistemological reflections related to the analytical framework. It begins in Chapter 1 with the explanation of the challenges faced by current water science and that relate to the need of finding analytical frameworks that contribute useful inputs to integrated management of the water resources (IWRM). As with the case of other resources, IWRM requires the analytical connection of the social and ecosystem dynamics. As a key piece within Sustainability Science the analogy of the metabolism of societies can be used to establish this connection. However, the metabolism concept needs a close examination before its joint use with other conceptions of the relations between humans and nature. After highlighting the need of considering the societal and ecosystem metabolism of socio-ecosystems as two separate but connected processes, a conceptual scheme is proposed in Chapter 2 to describe the metabolic relations between them. In Chapter 3, this scheme is adapted to the specifics of water using some of the most relevant concepts in socio- and eco-hydrology. In this way the water metabolism of socio-ecosystems is defined as the metabolism of the coupled water-human systems. Part II describes the methodological framework. In Chapter 4 the Multi-Scale Assessment of the Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) is presented as an established framework able to deal with the scale issues and the integration of narratives. MuSIASEM is selected as a root and adapted to the analyses of coupled water-human systems. Since water presents some differences with the previous energy-focus analyses, its adaptation requires the inclusion of new scales of analysis \textendashproblemshed and watershed- and new definitions of water as a metabolite \textendashas flow and fund. In Chapter 5 the differences and synergies between MuSIASEM and the water footprint analysis \textendashas one of the tools of the IWRM- are highlighted. In part III four case studies are presented with two objectives. First, Chapter 6 assesses the sustainability of the metabolic patterns I Punjab and Mauritius in order to test the adaptation of MuSIASEM to water and to show how this type of analyses is made functional. Second, Chapter 7 shows how the water footprint accounting methods can complement the analysis of the water flows in MuSIASEM and how MuSIASEM, in turn an provide a space for their contextualization.},
keywords = {Agriculture, Complex systems, Integrated Water Resources Management, MuSIASEM, Socio-ecological system, Virtual Water},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
The research line presented in this dissertation is a first attempt to provide a bridge for the communication between Hydrological studies and Social Metabolism. It was born from the observation that water is neglected in Social Metabolism and that current water science, while certain about the need of evolving towards a more interdisciplinary field, still faces challenges in the connection of social and ecosystem analyses. The contribution made here is the definition of an analytical framework –the Water Metabolism of Socioecosystems- where this connection can be established and which is formed by a conceptual proposal and a methodological toolkit. The document is divided in three parts where the epistemological, the methodological and the formal novelties of the framework are discussed. Part I covers the epistemological reflections related to the analytical framework. It begins in Chapter 1 with the explanation of the challenges faced by current water science and that relate to the need of finding analytical frameworks that contribute useful inputs to integrated management of the water resources (IWRM). As with the case of other resources, IWRM requires the analytical connection of the social and ecosystem dynamics. As a key piece within Sustainability Science the analogy of the metabolism of societies can be used to establish this connection. However, the metabolism concept needs a close examination before its joint use with other conceptions of the relations between humans and nature. After highlighting the need of considering the societal and ecosystem metabolism of socio-ecosystems as two separate but connected processes, a conceptual scheme is proposed in Chapter 2 to describe the metabolic relations between them. In Chapter 3, this scheme is adapted to the specifics of water using some of the most relevant concepts in socio- and eco-hydrology. In this way the water metabolism of socio-ecosystems is defined as the metabolism of the coupled water-human systems. Part II describes the methodological framework. In Chapter 4 the Multi-Scale Assessment of the Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) is presented as an established framework able to deal with the scale issues and the integration of narratives. MuSIASEM is selected as a root and adapted to the analyses of coupled water-human systems. Since water presents some differences with the previous energy-focus analyses, its adaptation requires the inclusion of new scales of analysis –problemshed and watershed- and new definitions of water as a metabolite –as flow and fund. In Chapter 5 the differences and synergies between MuSIASEM and the water footprint analysis –as one of the tools of the IWRM- are highlighted. In part III four case studies are presented with two objectives. First, Chapter 6 assesses the sustainability of the metabolic patterns I Punjab and Mauritius in order to test the adaptation of MuSIASEM to water and to show how this type of analyses is made functional. Second, Chapter 7 shows how the water footprint accounting methods can complement the analysis of the water flows in MuSIASEM and how MuSIASEM, in turn an provide a space for their contextualization.
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