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Beyond the Food Web Connections to a Deeper Industrial Ecology
Author(s) -
Spiegelman Jonah
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of industrial ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.377
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1530-9290
pISSN - 1088-1980
DOI - 10.1162/108819803766729177
Subject(s) - industrial ecology , ecology , systems ecology , sophistication , analogy , field (mathematics) , metaphor , ecological systems theory , computer science , complex system , applied ecology , sociology , sustainability , biology , artificial intelligence , epistemology , mathematics , plant ecology , social science , philosophy , linguistics , pure mathematics
Summary Industrial ecology is a school of thought based, in part, upon a simple analogy between industrial systems and ecological systems in terms of their material and energy flows. This article argues for a more sophisticated connection between these diverse systems based on the fact that they are all complex self‐organizing systems, operating far from thermodynamic equilibrium. As such, industrial and ecological systems have in common certain constraints and dynamic properties that move beyond the central metaphor of industrial ecology and could align these systems under a more comprehensive analytical framework. If incorporated at a fundamental level, the complex systems framework could add depth and sophistication to the field of industrial ecology.