Braden R. Allenby

Earth systems engineering and management

The impact of human activities on natural systems has grown to the point that we need to engage consciously in earth systems engineering and management. I address why this is the case, and what I mean by such a provocative term. In addition, I explore what we can learn from relevant experience, and how this daunting task should be approached. Earth systems engineering and management (ESEM) may be defined as the capability to rationally engineer and manage human technology systems and related elements of natural systems in such a way as to provide the requisite functionality while facilitating the active management of strongly coupled natural systems. The need for ESEM arises because, as a result of the industrial revolution and concomitant changes in agriculture, population levels, culture, and human systems, the world has become a human artifact. Partially because this process has occurred over time frames that are longer than individual time horizons, and has involved institutions and technology systems rather than conscious individual decisions, recognition of this phenomenon, and appropriate responses, have yet to occur. It is apparent that the science and technology, institutional, and ethical infrastructures necessary to support such a response have not yet been developed. The issue is not whether the earth will be engineered by the human species, it is whether humans will do so rationally, intelligently, and ethically.

Implementing industrial ecology

Industrial ecology (IE), which arises from the perception that human economic activity is causing unacceptable changes in basic environmental support systems, is defined, and a systems description is given. As applied to manufacturing, the systems-oriented concept suggests that industrial design and manufacturing processes are not performed in isolation from their surroundings, but rather are influenced by them and, in turn, have influence on them. Applied IE is defined as the study of driving factors influencing the specification of flows of selected materials between economic processes. Examples of these flows and some of the associated perspectives and constraints, drawn from the manufacturing sector, are illustrated and discussed.<<ETX>>

Environmental Security: Concept and Implementation

Environmental security, a relatively new and still somewhat contentious concept, may be defined as the intersection of environmental and national security considerations at a national policy level. It may be understood as a result of several important trends. One, of course, is the breakdown of the bipolar geopolitical structure that characterized the cold war. A second, less visible to many in the policy community, is the shift of environment from compliance and remediation to strategic for society. This process is occurring at many different scales, from implementation of Design for Environment methodologies within firms, to integration of environmental and trade considerations in the World Trade Organization (WTO). Taken together, these trends suggest that environmental security may be an important evolution of national state and international policy systems. If this is to occur, however, the concept must be defined with sufficient rigor to support an operational program.

Implementing Industrial Ecology: The AT&T Matrix System

Industrial ecology, the multidisciplinary study of coupled economic and environmental systems, provides the intellectual basis for understanding and implementing the vision of sustainable development in the firm. Using this approach, AT&T developed a matrix system which, when applied to the firms products and operations, laid the groundwork for systemic improvements in the firms environmental performance.

Anticipatory Life Cycle Analysis of In Vitro Biomass Cultivation for Cultured Meat Production in the United States

Cultured, or in vitro, meat consists of edible biomass grown from animal stem cells in a factory, or carnery. In the coming decades, in vitro biomass cultivation could enable the production of meat without the need to raise livestock. Using an anticipatory life cycle analysis framework, the study described herein examines the environmental implications of this emerging technology and compares the results with published impacts of beef, pork, poultry, and another speculative analysis of cultured biomass. While uncertainty ranges are large, the findings suggest that in vitro biomass cultivation could require smaller quantities of agricultural inputs and land than livestock; however, those benefits could come at the expense of more intensive energy use as biological functions such as digestion and nutrient circulation are replaced by industrial equivalents. From this perspective, large-scale cultivation of in vitro meat and other bioengineered products could represent a new phase of industrialization with inherently complex and challenging trade-offs.

International Governance of Autonomous Military Robots

Unarmed aerial vehicles (i.e., drones) are already starting to transform the conduct of military engagements, and these systems are projected an increasingly prominent role in military forces in the future. A number of factors will push these systems toward increased autonomy, raising the possibility of the future development of lethal autonomous robotics (LARs). This article seeks to proactively address the ethical, policy, and legal aspects of ALRs. It first describes the technological status and incentives for LARs, and then reviews some ethical and policy concerns that autonomous systems present. The paper then describes three potential routes for proactive governance of LARs: (i) existing legal and policy regimes such as rules of engagement, laws of war, and international humanitarian law; (ii) arms control agreements; and (iii) “soft law” mechanisms such as codes of conduct and international consultative bodies.

Positioning infrastructure and technologies for low‐carbon urbanization

The expected urbanization of the planet in the coming century coupled with aging infrastructure in developed regions, increasing complexity of man-made systems, and pressing climate change impacts have created opportunities for reassessing the role of infrastructure and technologies in cities and how they contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Modern urbanization is predicated on complex, increasingly coupled infrastructure systems, and energy use continues to be largely met from fossil fuels. Until energy infrastructures evolve away from carbon-based fuels, GHG emissions are critically tied to the urbanization process. Further complicating the challenge of decoupling urban growth from GHG emissions are lock-in effects and interdependencies. This paper synthesizes state-of-the-art thinking for transportation, fuels, buildings, water, electricity, and waste systems and finds that GHG emissions assessments tend to view these systems as static and isolated from social and institutional systems. Despite significant understanding of methods and technologies for reducing infrastructure-related GHG emissions, physical, institutional, and cultural constraints continue to work against us, pointing to knowledge gaps that must be addressed. This paper identifies three challenge themes to improve our understanding of the role of infrastructure and technologies in urbanization processes and position these increasingly complex systems for low-carbon growth. The challenges emphasize how we can reimagine the role of infrastructure in the future and how people, institutions, and ecological systems interface with infrastructure.

Industrial Ecology: The Materials Scientist in an Environmentally Constrained World

For most materials scientists, as for most people, John Donnes lines “and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee.” are simply inspired verse. Increasing recognition of the interplay between human economic activity and global environmental perturbations, however, are beginning to add a cold air of prescience to Johns words: “Ask not for whom the CFCs are emitted. They are emitted for thee.” The need for greater understanding, and new, more systematic approaches to these intertwined economic/environmental issues is becoming more apparent. What is perhaps not so clear is the critical role that materials scientists and engineers must play in this effort. An analysis of the symbiotic relationships among economic development, human population growth, and the uses and flows of materials throughout the economy clearly demonstrates this role. The intuitive feeling held by many technologists—that they are part of the solution, not part of the problem—certainly appears to be correct. But it will require growth on our part, and a more systems-oriented and comprehensive view of our role, if this promise is to be fulfilled.

A case for systemic environmental analysis of cultured meat

The environmental implications of cultured meat are profound. An anticipatory life cycle assessment of cultured meat published in 2011 suggested it could have a smaller impact than agricultural meat in all categories except energy consumption. As with most technologies, cultured meat will almost certainly be accompanied by unintended consequences as well as unforeseen costs and benefits that accrue disproportionately to different stakeholders. Uncertainty associated with new engineered products cannot be completely eliminated prior to introduction, but ongoing environmental assessments of the technologies as they advance can serve to reduce unforeseen risks. Given the pace at which tissue engineering is advancing, systemic assessments of the technology will be pivotal in mitigating unintended environmental consequences.

Industrial ecology gets down to Earth

The author discusses the framework within which firms, and governments, can begin to manage the integration of technology and environment. Industrial ecology, a developing multidisciplinary field, provides the theoretical framework. The Design for Environment (DFE) infrastructure, at the national and international levels, integrates social value judgments and multisectoral information into tools and systems that enable the private sectors implementation of environmentally preferable technologies and methodologies. Generic and specific DFE, at the level of the individual firm, are the means by which the environmental objectives and constraints are internalized into organizations and operations, from product and process design, to material and technology choice, to product takeback and reintroduction into commerce.<<ETX>>