Earth system economics: a biophysical approach to the human component of the Earth system
Galbraith, Eric (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Date: |
2021 |
Abstract: |
The study of humans has largely been carried out in isolation from the study of the non-human Earth system. This isolation has encouraged the development of incompatible philosophical, aspirational, and methodological approaches that have proven very difficult to integrate with those used for the non-human remainder of the Earth system. Here, an approach is laid out for the scientific study of the global human system that is intended to facilitate seamless integration with non-human processes by striving for a consistent physical basis, for which the name Earth system economics is proposed. The approach is typified by a foundation on state variables, central among which is the allocation of time amongst activities by human populations, and an orientation towards considering human experience. A framework is elaborated which parses the Earth system into six classes of state variables, including a neural structure class that underpins many essential features of humanity. A working example of the framework is then illustrated with a simple numerical model, considering a global population that is engaged in one of two waking activities: provisioning food or doing something else. The two activities are differentiated by their motivational factors, outcomes on state variables, and associated subjective experience. While the illustrative model is a gross simplification of reality, the results suggest how neural characteristics and subjective experience can emerge from model dynamics. The approach is intended to provide a flexible and widely applicable strategy for understanding the human-Earth system, appropriate for physically based assessments of the past and present, as well as contributing to long-term model projections that are naturally oriented towards improving human well-being. |
Grants: |
European Commission 682602
|
Note: |
Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M |
Rights: |
Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. |
Language: |
Anglès |
Document: |
Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada |
Published in: |
Earth system dynamics, Vol. 12, Issue 2 (May 2021) , p. 671-687, ISSN 2190-4979 |
DOI: 10.5194/esd-12-671-2021
DOI: 10.5194/esd-12-671-2021
The record appears in these collections:
Research literature >
UAB research groups literature >
Research Centres and Groups (research output) >
Experimental sciences >
Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)Articles >
Research articlesArticles >
Published articles
Record created 2022-05-13, last modified 2023-10-06