Understanding and Solving Environmental Problems in the 21st Century. Toward a new, integrated hard problem science PDF
Preview Understanding and Solving Environmental Problems in the 21st Century. Toward a new, integrated hard problem science
Preface This book is intended to serve a number of purposes and audiences, including: (1) to act as a "state of the art" assessment of integrated environmental science and its relation to real world problem solving, aimed at the academic community, and (2) to act as a sourcebook for managers, policy makers, and the informed public on both the state of the science and the state of consensus among scientists on key environmental issues. Background and process This book is a product of the 2nd EcoSummit, held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, June 18-22,2000. The aim of the EcoSummit was to encourage integration of both the natural and social sciences with the policy and decisionmaking community, for the purpose of developing a deeper understanding of complex environmental problems. This understanding is a necessary basis for sustainable solutions to environmental problems. The EcoSummit centered around the following six themes: (1) Integrated modeling and assessment. (2) Complex, adaptive, hierarchical systems. (3) Ecosystem services. (4) Science and decisionmaking. (5) Ecosystem health and human health. (6) Quality of life and the distribution of wealth and resources. These themes were seen as necessary in order to reach the goal of understanding and solving environmental problems in the 21st century. Each theme agenda was developed in advance of the summit, and a working group on each of the six themes was held during the course of the summit. The structure and process of the EcoSummit was different than most scientific meetings. It was a "summit" in that all delegates actively participated in one or more working groups charged with developing the chapters in this book. A plenary session was held the first morning where each theme chair presented a background talk and posed the key questions that formed the basis of the working group agendas. On each subsequent day there was another plenary vi Preface session, at which the rapporteurs summarized their working group's progress and outcomes. This book is an attempt to capture the "consensus" of the meeting. Consensus in this context is taken to mean the "sense of the meeting". Every individual at the meeting will probably not agree with every word in the following pages, but the vast majority will agree with the vast majority of what is said. In that sense, this book represents (to a fair approximation) the collective view of the participants, rather than the individual view of any one or small group of the participants. Acknowledgements We are indebted to the staff at Elsevier Science publishers, who played a central role in organizing and funding the EcoSummit. Mary Malin was the main conference organizer, aided by Julie Ingram and Gerald Dorey. We would also like to thank the other members of the organizing committee of the EcoSummit (William Mitsch, Johannes Heeb, Tony Jakeman, Anthony King, Mohi Munawar, David Rapport, and Mark Schwartz) and all of the presenters and participants (see the Participant List, p. vii). Finally, a special thanks to Amanda Walker, who did the technical editing on the manuscript, helped cajole authors to send in their revisions, and contributed in innumerable ways in the process of taking the book from first drafts to final publication. Robert Costanza and Sven Erik Jorgensen EcoSummit Participant List Work Group: Integrated Assessment and Modeling Put O. Ang Jr., Department of Biology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China Rob M. Argent, Centre for Environmental Applied Hydrology, University of Melbourne, Australia David Barker, Geostructures Consulting, United Kingdom M. Bruce Beck, Warnell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, USA Shui Bin, Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, USA Heather Breeze, Gorsebrook Research Institute, Saint Mary's University, Canada Tony Charles, Management Science/Environmental Science, Saint Mary's University, Canada Peter Deadman, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Canada Ingrid S. Eriksson, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Sweden Chris Fletcher, Gorsebrook Research Institute, Saint Mary's University, Canada Anthony Friend, School of Community and Regional Planning, Canada Philippe Girardin, INRA, Equipe Agriculture et Environment, France Matt Hare, Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Science & Technology, Switzerland Graham Harris, CSIRO Land and Water, Canberra, Australia Ralf Hoch, University of Kassel, Germany Tony Jakeman, Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, The Australian National University, Australia Marco Janssen, Free University, The Netherlands Elias Kautsky, Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, Yokohama National University, Japan Ulrik Kautsky, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Sweden Linda Kumblad, Department of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University, Sweden Guy Larocque, Natural Resources Canada, Canada viii EcoSummit Participant List Rebecca Letcher, Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, The Australian National University, Australia Kevin Lim, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Canada Silvia Maltagliati, Department of Energetics " Sergio Stecco", University of Florence, Italy Lubos Matejicek, Institute for Environmental Studies, Charles University, Czech Republic David Mauriello, US Environmental Protection Agency, USA Tom Maxwell, University of Maryland, USA (as of September 2002: Gund Institute of Ecological Economics, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT) Shailendra Mudgal, INERIS, France Bjorn Naeslund, Department of Systems Ecology, Stockholm University, Sweden Watam Naito, Yokohama National University, Japan Naoki Nakatani, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan Dapo Odulaja, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Kenya Rannveig Olafsdottir, Department of Physical Geography, Lund University, Sweden Femi Osidele, Wamell School of Forest Resources, University of Georgia, USA Claudia Pahl-Wostl, Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Science & Technology, Switzerland Richard Park, Eco Modeling, USA Paul Parker, Faculty of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo, Canada Dominique Pelletier, Laboratoire MAERHA, IFREMER, France Jim Reilly, New Jersey Office of State Planning, USA Andrea Rizzoli, Instituto Dalle Molle di Studi sullTntelligenza Artificiale (IDSIA), Switzerland Michelle Scoccimarro, Integrated Catchment Assessment and Management Centre, The Australian National University, Australia Michael Sonnenshein, University of Oldenburg, Germany Paul Sullivan, Department of Applied Mathematics, The University of Western Ontario, Canada Parviz Tarikhi, Iranian Remote Sensing Center, Iran Alexey Voinov, Institute for Ecological Economics, Center for Environmental Science, University of Maryland, USA (as of September 2002: Gund Institute of Ecological Economics, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT) Work Group: Complex Adaptive Hierarchical Systems Simone Bastianoni, University of Siena, Siena, Italy, Stuart R. Borrett, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA EcoSummit Participant List ix Sherry Brandt-Williams, FEDP Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Naples, FL, USA Jae S. Choi, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Marko Debeljak, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Brian D. Path, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, USA Julio Fonseca, Institute for Marine Research, Coimbra University, Coimbra, Portugal William E. Grant, Ecological Systems Laboratory, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA Dwikorita Karnawati, Gadjah Mada University, Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta, Indonesia Joao C. Marques, Institute for Marine Research, Coimbra University, Coimbra, Portugal Anton Moser, Institute Of Biotechnology, Graz University Of Technology, Graz, Austria Felix Miiller, Ecology Center, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany Claudia Pahl-Wostl, EAWAG, Ueberlandstr., Duebendorf, Switzerland Bernard C. Patten, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA Ralf Seppelt, Technical University Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany Wolf H. Steinbom, Okologie-Zentrum der Universitat Kiel, Kiel, Germany Yuri M. Svirezhev, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany Work Group: Ecosystem Services Marie Adamsson, Goteborg University, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Goteborg David Barker, Geostructures Consultant, Model Farm, Crockham Hill, Edenbridge, Kent, UK Anja Briill, Berlin, Germany Belinda Campbell, Department of Biological Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Andrew Dakers, Natural Resources Engineering Consultancy and Part-time Lecturer, Environmental Management and Design Division, Lincoln University, New Zealand Stefan Gossling, Lund, Sweden Bjom Guterstam, Global Water Partnership, Stockholm, Sweden Bill Hart, Centre for Resources Studies, Daltech-Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Johannes Heeb, International Ecological Engineering Society, Wolhusen, Switzerland Steven Loiselle, University of Siena, Italy X EcoSummit Participant List Ulo Mander, Institute of Geography, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia Donata Melaku Canu, CNR-ISDGM, Venice, Italy Ralf Roggenbauer, Leitha, Austria Michel Roux, Swiss Federal Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland George D. Santopietro, Department of Economics, Radford University, VA, USA Deidre Stuart, School of Natural Resource Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Mary Trudeau, Ontario, Canada Hein D. van Bohemen, Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, Delft, Netherlands Alan Werker, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Work Group: Science and Decisionmaking Jim Berkson, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA Rebekah Blok, Martec Limited, Canada Mark Borsuk, Duke University, USA Valerie Brown, Faculty of Environmental Management & Agriculture, University of Western Sydney, Australia Randall Bruins, US Environmental Protection Agency, USA Kevin Cover, City of Ottawa, Canada Virginia Dale, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA Jodi Dew, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA Carl Etnier, Agricultural University of Norway, Norway Lucia Fanning, Dalhousie University, Canada Francisca Felix, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands Mohd. Nordin Hasan, Institute for Environment and Development, University of Kebangsaan, Malaysia Huasheng Hong, Xiamen University, China A.W King, Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA Norbert Krauchi, Forest Ecosystems and Ecological Risks Division, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Switzerland Wolfram Krewitt, System Analysis and Technology Assessment, Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, Stuttgart, Germany Ken Lubinsky, US Geological Survey, USA John Olson, Villanova University, USA Janina Onigkeit, University of Kassel, Germany Gary Patterson, Nova Scotia, Canada EcoSummit Participant List x Irene Peters, Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG), Switzerland K. S. Raj an, Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan Peter Reichert, Department of Systems Analysis, Integrated Assessment and Modelling (SIAM), Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG), Switzerland Edward J. Rykiel Jr., Washington State University, USA Mark Schwartz, University of California, Davis, USA Kamala Sharma, University of Sydney, Australia Jason Shogren, University of Wyoming, USA Val Smith, University of Kansas, USA Michael Sonnenschein, University of Oldenburg, Germany Robert St-Louis, Environment Canada, Canada Deidre Stuart, School of Natural Resource Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Ray Supalla, University of Nebraska, USA Diederik van der Molen, RIZA, The Netherlands Henk van Latesteijn, Scientific Council for Government Policy, The Netherlands Work Group: Quality of Life and the Distribution of Wealth and Resources Joshua Farley, University of Maryland Institute for Ecological Economics, Solomons, MD, USA (as of September 2002: Gund Institute of Ecological Economics, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT) Robert Costanza, University of Maryland Institute for Ecological Economics, Solomons, MD, USA (as of September 2002: Gund Institute of Ecological Economics, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT) Paul Templet, Institute for Environmental Studies, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA Michael Corson, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA Philippe Crabbe, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada Ricardo Esquivel, Colonia Mexico, Merida 97128, Yucatan, Mexico Koyu Furusawa, Kokugakuin University, Faculty of Economics, Tokyo, Japan William Fyfe, University of Western Ontario, Department of Earth Sciences, London, Ontario Orie Loucks, Miami University, OH, USA Kelly MacDonald, Environment Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada Loma MacPhee, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Chris Miller, Brenau University, Gainesville, GA, USA Patricia O'Brien, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA Gary Patterson, Agriculture Canada, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada xii EcoSummit Participant List Jaques Ribemboim, Department of Agriculture, Director, State of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil Lynne Scott, School of Mathematics, University of Southern Australia, Mawson Lakes, Australia Helena Urbano, Av. Boa Viagem 328, Recife, PE, Brazil Sara J. Wilson, GPI Atlantic, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Work Group: Ecosystem Health and Human Health Put O. Ang Jr., Department of Biology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China Dave Cote, Terra Nova National Park, Canada Le Dien Due, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam Job S. Ebenezer, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chicago, USA Dean Fairbanks, University of Pretoria, South Africa Bob Ford, Fredrick Community College, USA Rob Gordon, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Canada Yang Guang, Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Canada Judith Guernsey, Dalhousie University, NS, Canada Abduel Hadi Harman Shaa, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia Andrew Hamilton, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Canada William Hart, DalTech, Dalhousie University, Canada Huasheng Hong, Xiamen University, China Jennifer Hounsell, International Society for Ecosystem Health, Canada John Howard, The University of Western Ontario, Canada Banquin Huang, Xiamen University, China Yanhe Huang, Fujian Agricultural University, China Dwikorita Karnawati, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia Robert Lannigan, The University of Western Ontario, Canada Sharon Lawrence, Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society, Gaia Project, Canada Yan Liu, Xiamen University, China Diane Malley, Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society, Canada Leanne McLean, Dalhousie University, Canada Robert McMurtry, Health Canada and The University of Western Ontario, Canada Vincent Mercier, Environment Canada, Canada Naoki Mori, University of Tokyo, Japan Mohi Munawar, Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada Mary Ann Naragdao, University of the Phillipines, Phillipines, and Dalhousie University, Canada EcoSummit Participant List xiii Katsuo Okamoto, National Institute of Agro-Environmental Sciences, Japan Daniel Rainham, Dalhousie University, Canada DJ. Rapport, University of Guelph, College Faculty of Environmental Design and Rural Development, Guelph, ON, Canada, and The University of Western Ontario, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, London, ON, Canada Dieter Riedel, Health Canada Elizabeth Rodriguez, Parque Nacional Mirador del Norte, Dominican Republic Meenu Saraf, Gujarat University, India Helene Savard, Sir Sandford Fleming College, Canada Paul Schaberg, USDA Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station, Burlington, VT, USA Neil Scott, University of New Brunswick-Saint John, Canada Annabelle Singleton, Saint Mary's University, Canada Risa Smith, British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Canada Harold Taylor, The International Coalition for Land & Water Stewardship in the Red River Basin, Canada Nguyen Thi Hoang Lien, Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam Liette Vasseur, University of Moncton, Canada Shihe Xing, Fujian Agriculture University, China Hoang Xuan Co, Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam Introduction: Understanding and Solving Environmental Problems in the 21st Century: Toward a new, integrated "hard problem science" R. Costanza and S.E. Jorgensen Existing social, economic, and political institutions, as well as academic disci plines, evolved at a time when natural resources and ecological services were vast relative to the human presence, and human impacts were relatively small and local in comparison. We have now moved from this relatively "empty world" to a world that is relatively full (Daly, 1992). In this new "frill world", human impacts are more global and far-reaching, and the emphasis must shifr from addressing problems in isolation to studying whole complex systems and the dynamic interactions between the parts. Complex systems are characterized by non-linearities, autocatalysis, complex, time delayed feedback loops, emergent phenomena, and chaotic behavior (Costanza et al., 1993; Kauffman, 1993; Patten and Jorgensen, 1995; Jorgensen, 1995). This means that the whole is significantly different from the simple sum of the parts, and scaling (the transfer of understanding across spatial, temporal, and complexity scales) is a core problem. Incorporating both biophysical and social dynamics makes these problems "wickedly complex" and difficult. They are impossible to address from within the confines of any single discipline. To address these substantial challenges, we need to develop a new integra tive approach to science, education, policy, and management that transcends existing disciplinary and other boundaries. We coined the term "hard problem science" (HPS) to refer to this new approach. It implies the following set of characteristics: • Consilience among all the sciences: A balanced and pluralistic kind of "leaping together", in which the natural and social sciences and the humanities all contribute equitably, is needed. HPS needs to be truly transdisciplinary and multiscale, rather than either reductionist or holistic. One's discipline will be noted much as one's place of birth is noted today - where one started on life's journey, but not what totally defines one's life. Understanding and Solving Environmental Problems in the 21st Century Edited by R. Costanza and S.E. Jorgensen © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
The list of books you might like
