Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY
BRADEN ALLENBY
Industrial ecology is a new way of looking at the interactions between
human and natural systems. It represents a significant augmentation, rather
than replacement, of existing approaches to environmental issues. In this
light, two fundamental premises of industrial ecology should always be
emphasized. First, reflecting the reality of the world within which human
and environmental systems operate, industrial ecology always takes a sys-
tems view. Second, industrial ecology is not about the environment: it is
about technology and the evolution of human culture and economic sys-
tems. These principles sound simple, almost trivial, but when applied they
make industrial ecology a significant, almost radical, improvement over cur-
rent practices.
One must begin, however, by asking whether industrial ecology is justi-
fied in the first place.Why is there a need for fundamental change in how
environmental issues are approached? In short, this need arises because of a
premise that underlies current environmental regulation and practices: that
environmental perturbations can be mitigated by treating them only as they
are manifested, without serious regard for the economic activity that caused
them. This approach treats environmental considerations as if they are
“overhead,” not “strategic,” for consumers, producers, and society. (“Over-
head” activities are ancillary to the primary activity of an individual, a firm,
or society, while strategic activities are integral to the primary activity.)
Thus, environmental problems have been widely perceived as local in space
and time, and frequently associated with a single substance, such as the pes-
ticide DDT, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), or heavy metals. Social
responses are still ad hoc, reflecting a strong bias toward remediation of
existing localized problems—individual airsheds or watersheds, or specific
waste sites—even though these in many cases pose little, or easily managed,
risk. Compliance activities, especially in the United States, are usually
