8.4. Analyzing Sustainability#

The earth is a complex non-linear system.

Linear system with independent variables

linear system with independent variables

Non-linear system with interdependent variables

non-linear system with interdependent variables

Scientific Concepts#

First law of Thermodynamics – conservation of energy - energy can neither be created nor destroyed it can only change form.

Matter and energy cannot disappear

Second law of Thermodynamics – entropy of a closed system cannot decrease

Matter and energy tend to disperse

All real systems have losses – thermal or mechanical

Additional Scientific Concepts#

  • With regard to many processes, Earth is a closed system

  • Value of matter is in its concentration and structure – energy density varies

  • All species of plants and animals are adapted to their environment – adaptation to change takes time

  • Limited resources/ non-renewable resources

  • Time scale matters

Assessment Methodologies#

Economic#

  • Cost / Benefit analysis

  • Modeling / regressions

  • Probability scenarios

Environmental#

  • Life-cycle analysis

  • Material flows

  • Resource accounting

  • Ecological foot print

  • NAMEA (National Accounting Matrix with Environmental Accounts) - a tool developed by EUROSTAT (the European Commission’s statistics service) to analyze relationships between the economy and the environment.

Social#

  • Sustainable livelihoods

  • Human and social capital evaluation

  • Participatory processes

Life Cycle Analysis#

Design Life

  • Where did it come from?

  • How is it used?

  • Where will it go?

10 different ISO standards for Life-cycle assessment

life cycle analysis

“Zero Waste” and Cradle to Cradle Design#

Cradle to cradle design

  • A strategy for sustainability that aims to use all of the resources involved in production process and use them completely.

  • Works by taking what could be considered waste from one process and using it as inputs to other process.

  • Requires that all products be reusable or biologically de-gradable in a finite time frame

Carbon and Water Accounting#

The concept of a carbon footprint is to obtain a quantifiable impact of a business or persons activities on the environment by converting activities to an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide used. The units of measurement are tonnes or kilograms.

The total amount of water a person or business uses is defined as their water footprint.

A surprisingly large amount of water is need to produce the energy, food and products that we all use.

Carbon and Water Footprint Calculators#

US Government, Environmental Protection Agency Personal Emissions Calculator

EPA Carbon Footprint Calculator

Household Water Calculator

Home Water Works Household Water Caclulator