When You Find Yourself in a Hole, Stop Digging: Comments on Earth Systems Engineering

Robert M. Friedman

Journal of Industrial Ecology, 1999, vol. 3, issue 4, 15-19

Abstract: In an earlier “Forum” article in this journal, Brad Allenby outlined his views of a new approach to managing the unintended consequences of human activity, “earth systems engineering.” He argues that we must develop the tools, institutions, and moral and ethical systems to allow us to “assume an active management role for most global systems.” I believe this to be a significant departure from a core concept of industrial ecology: learning from ecosystems how the natural world operates to be able to more effectively design and manage coupled human‐natural systems. Such lessons are more likely to lead away from tightly managed, centralized approaches, and favor approaches with as little intervention as feasible. More important, I believe that we are far less likely to learn how to implement earth systems engineering than simpler approaches, hence less likely to minimize environmental damage.

Date: 1999
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1162/108819899569656

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:inecol:v:3:y:1999:i:4:p:15-19

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=1088-1980

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Industrial Ecology is currently edited by Reid Lifset

More articles in Journal of Industrial Ecology from Yale University
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().