Industrial Metabolism

http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/80841e/80841E00.htm

Edited by Robert U. Ayres and Udo E. Simonis
©The United Nations University, 1994

The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations University.
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UNUP-841ISBN 92-808-0841-9United Nations Sales No. E.93.III.A.303500 P

Contents
Note to the reader from the UNUAcknowledgementsIntroduction
Part 1: General implications
1. Industrial metabolism: Theory and policy
What is industrial metabolism?The materials cycleMeasures of industrial metabolismPolicy implications of the industrial metabolism perspectiveReferences
2. Ecosystem and the biosphere: Metaphors for human-induced material flows
IntroductionThe ecosystem analogueThe environmental spheres analogue: Atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphereSummary and conclusionsReferences
3. Industrial restructuring in industrial countries
IntroductionIdentifying indicators of environmentally relevant structural changeStructural change as environmental reliefEnvironmentally relevant structural change: Empirical analysisTypology of environmentally relevant structural changeSpecific conclusionsGeneral conclusions
4. Industrial restructuring in developing countries: The case of India
Industrial metabolism and sustainable developmentIndustry and sustainable developmentResource utilizationEnergy efficiency: An overviewEnergy use in Indian industry: A case-studyConclusionsReferences
5. Evolution, sustainability, and industrial metabolism
IntroductionTechnical progress and reductionismThe mechanical paradigmThe evolution of ecological structureDiscussion
Part 2: Case-studies
6. Industrial metabolism at the national level: A case-study on chromium and lead pollution in Sweden, 1880-1980
IntroductionThe use of chromium and lead in SwedenCalculation of emissionsThe development of emissions over timeThe emerging immission landscapeConclusionsReferences
7. Industrial metabolism at the regional level: The Rhine Basin
IntroductionGeographic features of the Rhine basinMethodologyThe example of cadmiumConclusionsReferences
8. Industrial metabolism at the regional and local level: A case-study on a Swiss region
IntroductionMethodologyResultsConclusionsReferences
9. A historical reconstruction of carbon monoxide and methane emissions in the United States, 1880-1980
IntroductionCarbon monoxide (CO)Methane (CH4)References
10. Sulphur and nitrogen emission trends for the United States: An application of the materials flow approach
IntroductionSulphur emissionsNitrogen oxides emissionsConclusionReferences
11. Consumptive uses and losses of toxic heavy metals in the United States, 1880-1980
IntroductionProduction-related heavy metal emissionsEmissions coefficients for productionConsumption-related heavy metal emissionsEmissions coefficient for consumptionHistorical usage patternsConclusionsReferences
AppendixPart 3: Further implications
12. The precaution principle in environmental management
IntroductionPrecaution and "industrial metabolism"Precaution: A case-studyHistory of the precaution principleThe precaution principle in international agreementsPrecaution on the European stagePrecaution as a science-politics gamePrecaution on the global stageReferences
13. Transfer of clean(er) technologies to developing countries
IntroductionSustainable developmentEnvironmentally sound technology, clean(er) technologyIndustrial metabolismKnowledge and technology transferEndogenous capacityCrucial elements of endogenous capacity-buildingInternational cooperation for clean(er) technologiesConclusionsTwo case-studiesReferencesBibliography
14. A plethora of paradigms: Outlining an information system on physical exchanges between the economy and nature
IntroductionDistinguishing between "harmful" and "harmless" characteristics of socio-economic metabolism with its natural environmentOutline of an information system for the metabolism of the socio-economic system with its natural environmentAn empirical example for ESIs: Material balances and intensities for the Austrian economyPurposive interventions into life processes (PILs)ConclusionsReferences
BibliographyContributors