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- Andersson, Björn A., 1968, et al.
(författare)
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Materials constraints in a global energy scenario based on thin-film solar cells
- 1998
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Ingår i: Energy. - 0360-5442. ; 23, s. 407-411
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Harnessing solar energy by using photovoltaic cells has the potential to become a major CO2-free energy source. Materials requirements for the solar cells based on four types of thin-film photovoltaics have been estimated and compared with global reserves, resources and annual refining. The use of solar cells based on Cd, Ga, Ge, In, Ru, Se and Te as a major energy-supply technology has severe resource constraints. Other systems such as a-Si without Ge and crystalline silicon do not involve such constraints. For some of these metals, there is the risk of enhanced, environmentally deleterious concentrations in the ecosphere due to leakage from manufacturing, use or waste handling.
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| 6. |
- Holmberg, John, 1963
(författare)
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Backcasting — a natural step when operationalising sustainable development.
- 1998
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Ingår i: Greener Management International Greener Management International. — the Journal of Corporate Environmental Strategy and Practice. ; :23, s. 30-51
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents a method for strategic planning developed in co-operation with and applied by The Natural Step network of scientists and business corporations. It includes examples from companies that have used the method in their strategic planning for sustainability. The main difference between the method presented here and other approaches is that this method is: (i) based on a framework of four non-overlapping principles of sustainability; and (ii) based on backcasting, that is, instead of trying to predict the future from today’s trends (traditional forecasting), one also tries to liberate beliefs about today’s situation and to understand what requirements and possibilities sustainability will involve in the future. The method consists of four steps. In the first step, conditions for a future sustainable society are defined. In the next step, the firm’s current activities and competences are analysed in relation to these conditions. In the third step, future possibilities for the firm are envisaged. In the final step, flexible strategies are identified that can link the present situation with the desirable future sustainable situation.
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| 7. |
- Holmberg, John, 1963
(författare)
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Socio-Ecological Principles and Indicators for Sustainability
- 1995
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In this thesis I have developed science-based description models, concepts, measures and methods for use in the transformation of the societal metabolism towards sustainability. The thesis is based on five papers: In Paper I, we analyse various factors that are important for the design of socio-ecological indicators. The purpose of the socio-ecological indicators is that they shall capture essential aspects of society's influence of nature in order to contribute to the control mechanisms that redirect society towards sustainability. Another important aspect of the socio-ecological indicators is that they shall focus early in the causal chain leading from activities in society to effects in nature. In Paper II we develop and discuss four socio-ecological principles for a sustainable society: (i) Substances extracted from the lithosphere must not systematically accumulate in the ecosphere. (ii) Society-produced substances must not systematically accumulate in the ecosphere. (iii) The physical conditions for production and diversity within the ecosphere must not systematically be deteriorated. (iv) The use of resources must be effective and just with respect to meeting human needs. The socio-ecological indicators for sustainability that are suggested in Paper III, are based on the socio-ecological principles of Paper II. The indicators are constructed so as to arrange the information in a systematic way. This leads to four complementary sets of indicators. In Paper IV we define the environmental debt. It is known that today's society causes environmental damages that will remain for a long time or become manifest in the future. Such damages involve a debt to future generations because of the costs that they inflict on them. In the paper we use neo-classical economical theory to derive a method for estimating this debt. In Paper V we analyse the stability of harvesting in a predator-prey model. The predator-prey system is a classical Lokta-Volterra type of model with one predator and two prey species. We compare the stability of two harvesting strategies, (i) constant quota and (ii) constant effort, and show that constant catch quota can lead to both oscillations (and chaos) and an increased risk for overexploitation.
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| 8. |
- Karlsson, Sten, 1951, et al.
(författare)
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Man and material flows
- 1997
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The text in this book presents various system aspects on materials ows in society and nature and then mainly from a natural sciences and technical point of view. It is aiming at giving an overview of important material ows in society and in nature and their interactions in a sustainability perspective and the text is therefore of a more principal character. More examples and applications in specific sectors of society can be found in the other books of this series. Unfortunately, the examples and data presented in this book are exclusively from western countries. The documented and available studies on materials ows in the society and their connections to the environmental and resource problems are to an overwhelming majority describing western societies and this book has drawn from these studies.
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