Industrial ecology and decision-making

Abstract

Abstract

Experiences from early stages of a national industrial symbiosis programme in the UK: determinants and coordination challenges

“…There are, on the other hand, valid and very important longer-term environmental sustainability arguments emphasizing the necessity for transformations the industrial society should undergo so as to minimize the depletion of nonrenewable resources and to minimize the irreversible impact anthropogenic activities have on natural ecosystems. Changes necessary to achieve these transformations in the longer-term are likely to go beyond retrofitting existing systems and should either profoundly alter the core functioning of existing systems or replace them with totally new ones [50,51]. A valid concern arises due to the possibility that actions promoted and taken in pursuit of short term economic benefits may prevent or delay the realization of vital profound changes [52][53][54].…”