Metrics, Systems, and Technological Choices By David Rejeski

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Metrics, Systems, and Technological ChoicesBy
David Rejeski

• Summary Eric Zhu
• Critique Zhuo Cai

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Sustainability

• The sustainability of the biosphere by efficient
  and equitable use of planetary resources has
  become an important cornerstone in many
  international polices.
• Sustainable development depends on more
  environmentally robust industrial ecology The
  restructuring of industry also depends on
  sustainable infrastructure for energy and other
  critical resources at multiple levels.
  

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• National governments play an important role in
  development, maintenance, and social and
  technological transformation of sustainable
  infrastructure.
• To support an evolving industrial ecology at a
  global scale, governments must
• change fundamentally their systems of national
  accounts
• analyze and improve critical metabolic processes
• explore emerging technological paradigms and
  their implications for sustainable development

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Essay 1 The Search for New Metrics

• Application of traditional macroeconomic
  indicator for national economic performance fails
  to measure adequately human, social and
  ecological welfare.

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Modifications of traditional measuring systems

• Should include the account for nature capital and
  its depreciation
• Also subtraction of compensation cost and
  environmental damage

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After modification of the measures of economic
growth, next is to deal with whether resource use
is at sustainable levels.

• Economic system dependent on nonrenewable
  resource inputs or continuously overdraw
  renewable resources is exposed to danger.
• We need accounting systems that allow us to track
  our progress toward a more sustainable economy
• - shift away from nonrenewable inputs
• - increased recycling of waste streams
• - the use of renewable resource at sustainable
  levels
• Regardless of substitution pattern (of energy
  / materials), resources are still consumed at
  levels that cannot be sustained indefinitely

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Essay2 THE METABOLISM OF THE NATION STATE

• Goal Transform key resources inputs(energy
  materials) into services for society
• Important approaches
• map the metabolic activity of these systems with
  aim of improving resources, environmental and
  economic efficiencies
• exploring new options for providing fundamental
  services to society
• U.S Energy flow ( industrial ecology
  characteristic)
• linear, one-way flows
• large uncaptured waste stream
• exhibits very low system efficiencies (services
  v.s society)

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• Careful analyze of the metabolic system as are
  traditional resource flows
• Flow of federal RD funding into U.S. Energy
  system
• significant difference in investments in
  demand-side v.s supply side
• low funding for renewable option.
• Studies of metabolic process at various scales
  and for various resources (energy, materials,
  capital, labor..)

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Essay 3 Technological choices

• The old paradigm has reached the limits of
  environmental responsibility, economic
  efficiency, and political acceptance.
• Search for new paradigms that have the greatest
  chance leading us down a sustainable path
• require foresight, innovation, political will,
  and public consent

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Critique

• The existing metrics do not meet sustainable
  requirement
• We need to change the way of doing business
• Need new metrics for sustainable development

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Critique

• The effects of the new measurement system
• Take into account the natural capital and its
  depreciation when calculate economic growth
• Change the way we used to develop products

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Critique

• Sustainable Development
• Technical
• Economic
• Environmental

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Critique

• Metabolism (The energy consumption example)
• Energy transfer do Supply-side and demand-side
  analysis
• Make more use of renewable energy solar, wind,
  etc.
• Engine v.s. Fuel cell

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Critique

• Technological choices
• Which one is the best?

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We do not inherit the Earth from our fathers, we
are borrowing it from our children.

• David Brower