Emergy Synthesis 8, Proceedings of the 8th Biennial Emergy Conference (2015)
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Open Issues in Emergy Methodology
Enrique Ortega and Simone Bastianoni
ABSTRACT
To address the need for consistent systemic scientific knowledge, Emergy Methodology deserves a
critical revision to build-up solid and valuable collaboration with other scientific and philosophical
approaches. Increased scrutiny of Emergy Methodology has brought different points of view from
researchers and society, so it is important to discuss them.
The main points to discuss:
[01] Review the baseline considering ideas and proposals from various researchers.
[02] Consider renewability of inflows and modification of emergy indices;
[03] Critical discussion of certain emergy indices (Ren, ELR, EYR, ESI)
[04] Create emergy indices able to evaluate climate change impacts and mitigation;
[05] Develop emergy indices for ecological and social resilience;
[06] Consider environmental services as products in agricultural projects;
[07] Include negative externalities (social and environmental impacts);
[08] Discuss services inflows (as added work) in national and agricultural systems;
[09] Consider social indicators in emergy terms
[10] Include economic subsidies as inflows
[11] Develop emergy indices for ideological, military, and cultural inflows and stocks
[12] Include the issues of environmental and ethical debts in Emergy Synthesis.
Discussion [01] Baseline
The baseline methodology (discussed in Figures 1a, 1b and 1c) is a methodological issue of highest
priority, which deserves a special forum to involve all the emergy researchers interested in this topic.
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Figure 1a. Biogeochemical flows and energy inputs to the Biosphere according to the emergy language. Energy inputs represented in terms of E24 seJ per year (adaptation from Brown and Ulgiati, 2004).
Figure 1b. Biogeochemical flows and energy inputs to the Biosphere including the important regulatory work made by frozen water corps; in a situation of sustainable use of renewable resources.
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Figure 1c.Biogeochemical flows and energy inputs to the Biosphere considering climate change, non-
sustainable economy and modified biochemical flows that put under huge stress the Biosphere´s
ecosystems health.
The research effort on this topic may be improved if other researcher’s points of view are considered
and discussed, for example:
(a) The baseline is not constant, as is supposed; it changes with time according with energies
immobilized by nature and now being mobilized by human beings (that will not be available in next
decades). The internal potential stocks should be considered: the fossil fuels have a great capacity
for biogeochemical stocks and flows modification; besides that, biological stocks (biodiversity) and
sequestered carbon stocks (carbon, oil, gas, bituminous carbon) are extremely important for climate
stability, ecosystems productivity and biosphere albedo
(b) Instead of looking for an internal solution to provide a solar equivalence (with some methodological
inconsistencies), the baseline could be calculated considering an “external” solar equivalence e.g.
based on entropy flow.
[02] Renewability of inflows
The basic diagram used to calculate emergy indices (Figure 2) considers that flows received from
other stages upward in the energy hierarchy are nonrenewable. It is not the case in many sustainable
systems that existed in past and that some of those that have resisted and remain at work at present times.
Therefore, the consumer side of systems should be studied in order to know the renewability of their
feedback flows and consider this information in the calculation of emergy indices.
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Figure 2. Basic emergy diagram of a production system.
[03] Critical analysis and revision of EYR and ESI indices
A yield ratio defined as EYR = Y/F = (R/F + N/F) + (M/F + S/F) is only important from the
perspective of economic growth that considers that non-renewables (N) are the origin of emergy surplus.
This situation is possible only when non-renewables does not produce perilous social and environmental
impacts.
Figure 3. Inflows and outflow.
Inflows: (R + N) + F = (R + N) + (FR + FN)
Outflow: Y = R U N U F
Therefore: Y = (R + RF) + (N + NF) = renewables + non-renewables
Modifications suggested for some Emergy Indices
Renewability: Ren = → Ren =
Emergy Loading Ratio: ELR = → ELR =
Renewable energies
Internal stocks
x
Feedback from economy
system
N R
F
Ep
Y = R + N + F
Non renewable resources from
nature N
R
N
F R F N
F
R
N
R F N F
F
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Non-renewables produce negative externalities and the cost of solving environmental and social
impact must be incorporated in EYR ratio. The critique of ESI index derives from this observation. A
problem for indicators is the loss of information when using ratios without consistency between
indicandum and indicator:
Emergy Yield Ratio: EYR=
Emergy Sustainability Index: ESI =
It is questionable the use of non-renewables (N+NF) as a benefit for consumer considering that the
damages inflicted to consumers (society, flora and fauna).
[04] Consideration of negative externalities
The emergy methodology has devoted a great effort in studying the production side of the societal
metabolism. Its indices focus the production of resources for economy and society in modified
ecosystems (Figure 4a), sometimes considering regional biota but without considering the ecosystem
services produced by biological stocks.
Figure 4. Inflows and outflow.
Emergy Investment Ratio: EIR =
Other scientific groups have studied the relationship between Consumption and Production in terms
of Ecological Footprint. World circumstances demand the use of a whole perspective that includes the
research of human consumer side, regional fauna, feedback mechanisms and the social super-structure.
There is need to study the value of the different negative externalities in different ecosystems and at a
global level. This should involve the study of the impact and the cost of its solution in conventional and
alternative forms. Again in Ulgiati et al., 1995 a possible solution to be applied is already described but
almost never used thereafter (Figure 4b).
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Figure 4b. Absorption of externalities (after Ulgiati et al., 1995).
What was shown in Figure 4c as “assets and population” is now usually called as the superstructure.
It is composed of government corps (executive, legislative and juridical), banking, financing, political
movements and institutions, ideology and culture production, police and military forces. The size of
externalities has grown in the last centuries and mainly in the last decades, and now it affects the
biosphere as a whole. These two important topics will be discussed in the next paragraphs.
[05] Emergy indices for climate change
Climate change is now recognized as a great menace to humanity. The concern about this problem
appeared only in the last 20 years and, for this reason, it was not considered during Emergy Methodology
development. In the emergy literature there are almost none emergy diagrams neither emergy indices to
orient the studies on this critical issue. Tiezzi et al., 1996, made an attempt in this direction; in their
paper, the emergy of energy resource (seen as the potential of producing a useful output) is compared
with the emergy needed to recreate the pristine conditions after a fuel is used and CO2 released. When
the latter is subtracted there is no more “free emergy” available; on the contrary the emergy necessary to
fix the global damage produced by carbon dioxide is higher than emergy in the fuel.
[06] Emergy indices for ecological and social resilience
Some forces as technological innovation, administrative capability, robbery in many kinds,
unsuspected geographical factors (germs, food crops, useful animals, and biological resistance) and
finally ideology production allowed some groups to dominate other people and get possession of the
ecosystems where these people lived. The introduction of all these forces in new territories led to a great
modification of native ecosystems changing its flora and fauna (biodiversity loss), by the introduction of
mono-crops the rural systems become very simple and dependent of external inputs and unfair faraway
markets. At the same time, the social organization developed in centuries, well adapted to native
ecosystems, was destroyed. After centuries of colonial occupation and increasing use of fossil fuels and
minerals these ecosystems have lost a great part of their resilience, which could be very useful after the
pulse of fossil fuels use. Behind a compulsive growth paradigm there is an interrelated psychological,
philosophical and political phenomenon with critical limits that everyone needs to understand to
contribute for its change. How can this complex phenomena can be diagramed, how it will possible to
measure its information stocks and flows, what emergy indices will be necessary to develop to evaluate
resilience, what sort of public policy and actions should be necessary? If resilience establishes the limit
of modification for the original ecosystem: what is the value of this limit?
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[07] Consideration of environmental services as products in agro-ecosystems
It has being introduced the science of Paleoclimatology as one of the most important sciences to
understand climate change in the past and to prepare climate´s future sceneries. It may allow the
calculation of the emergy indices of climate change products. Paleobiology deserves similar attention.
This knowledge is important in the evaluation of ecosystems services that have been recognized as vital
resources to recover and maintain the biosphere´s equilibrium. In some countries, the ecosystem services
are beginning to be paid and there is an opportunity for emergy methodology to contribute to their
calculation. At the same time, the human-modified ecosystems are producing environmental disservices
(external negativities). A balance between services and disservices is necessary to determine the
magnitude of the benefit or the damage produced and environment debt (accumulated value and yearly
flow).
[08] Critical analysis of “services” concept used by some emergy scientists.
When the transformities of inputs of a system are unknown and the transformities of the main raw
materials used in the production of those inputs are known, it is possible to estimate the approximate
value of the emergy flow if the cost of those resources is incorporated. It is assumed that work to
transform the main raw materials into products consists basically in human services (labor), but if it
could be not the case, an error could appear because important emergy flows are omitted. See Figures 5.
Figure 5a. Diagram with “services” as work added outside the system.
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The addition of services (human labor) can be made within the system under study or outside its
frontiers (Figures 5a and 5b). In the case of central countries, the additional work is usually incorporated
within the system but, in the case of peripheral countries the work is added outside their borders.
Even this is a proxy to the real value it should not be a general rule; this analysis should be done for
each input (Figures 5c and d). Unfortunately human labor and services are treated in different ways by
different authors and they are often a relevant input in evaluations. Furthermore the degree of uncertainty
and double counting, using the conversion of money into emergy is unknown.
Figure 5b. Diagram with “services” as work added outside the system.
Figure 5c. Diagram for the whole transformation process of inputs derived the use of petrochemicals
and minerals showing a small participation of “services” inflow.
The solution is to describe the processes that allow obtaining the inputs used, and in this case
calculating the transformity, the renewability and specific emergy values of the resources produced,
considering also environmental services and disservices.
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Figure 5d. Diagram for discussion of “services”.
The Emergy Society (ISAER) should keep reviewing the methodological procedure and improving
the data bank with diagrams, list of inputs, transformities and renewabilities used, prices of inputs and
products, costs of environmental services and negative externalities, aggregated emergy flows and
emergy indicators tables for different kinds of systems: agriculture, cattle growing, forestry, aquaculture,
fisheries, transport, industry, commerce and distribution, recycling, government services, etc.
[09] Social indicators in emergy terms
Emergy scientists have studied production systems and made lower efforts to study consumption,
decomposing and recycling. Even a lesser effort was dedicated to study the “super-structure” (Ortega,
2012). See Figures 6.
Figure 6a. The “super-structure” appears as public services and information in Odum and Odum
diagram (2001). Instead of population we use “social classes”.
The super-structure is the top of human-dominated ecosystems that now have new trophic levels to
produce resources and services aimed to organize the productionconsumption system and the interaction
with other human systems and nature. The study of the superstructure should use emergy and social
sciences at the same time.
Fuels as basic resource in
nature Extraction , storage , transport , processing
Env . service
Fuel Infra -
estruct . Equip . Mate - rials Info Labor
$
Petro - chemicals for human activities
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Figure 6b. The “Super-structure” is now described as System of Tax Paying, Use and Distribution of
Economic Resources (STPUDR).
Figure 6c. Separation of the box relative to “super-structure” from the rest of the diagram to begin the
analysis of this sector of Ecological Economy.
[10] Inclusion of economic subsidies as inflows
The emergy study of economic systems should include all the hidden inflows such as different kind
of subsidies that occur in agriculture, industry, commerce, research, financing systems. That complete
analysis will reveal the truth behind some prosperous business whose survival depend on a high volume
of subsidies made by governments and cause economic deviation and nature depletion.
System of Tax Paying , U se and D istribution of E conomic
R esources of poor people
$ S TPUD R of rich people + V
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Figure 6d. Diagram for discussion of “super-structure” stocks and flows.
Figure 6e. Diagram of “infra-structure” and “super-structure” interactions.
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Figure 6f. Diagram for discussion of “global super-structure” stocks and flows.
[11] Emergy indices for ideological, military, and cultural inflows and stocks
In opposition with the predominant idea in liberal economy, that the national, regional and local
systems are free to decide what the best is for them; at the peripheral countries and even in powerful
countries, decisions are usually taken under the coercive force imposed by dominant groups. The
mechanism of decision-taking processes must be studied using emergy methodology with the help of
sociologists, anthropologists and experts in geo-political analysis.
[12] Consideration of environmental and ethical debts.
Until now, Emergy Science has not considered the concept of Ecological Debt used by some
Ecological Economists. It is a philosophical issue that Emergy Scientists should be aware of. This study
will demand to acquire a socially concerned historical perspective. Besides the Ecological Debt, it could
be necessary to consider also Historical or Ethical Debt and Climatic Debt.
REFERENCES
S. Ulgiati, M.T. Brown, S. Bastianoni and N. Marchettini: “Emergy based indices and ratios to evaluate
the sustainable use of resources.” Ecological Engineering, 5, 519-531; Elsevier, 1995. E. Tiezzi, S. Bastianoni and N. Marchettini: “Environmental cost and steady state: the problem of
adiabaticity in the emergy value” Ecological Modelling, 90, 33-37; Elsevier, 1996. H.T. Odum & E. C. Odum: “A Prosperous Way Down: Principles and Policies”; The University Press
of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA, 2001. Re-impression: 2007. E. Ortega: Critical Analysis of Green Economy Proposals. Proceedings of 7th Emergy Conference,
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA, 2012. URL: http://www.cep.ees.ufl.edu/emergy/documents/conferences/ERC07_2012/07_Ortega.pdf
