The entropic nature of the economic process
Scientific advancements in the field of non-equilibrium thermodynamics have shown that social-ecological systems belong to the class of complex adaptive systems, a subset of the class of open dissipative systems. A proper characterization of the mechanism allowing the reproduction and adaptation of...
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| Tipo de recurso: | capítulo de libro |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2023 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
| Repositorio: | Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ddd.uab.cat:298820 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://ddd.uab.cat/record/298820 https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.4324/9781003244196-5 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Circular economy Economic Finance Business & Industry Environment and Sustainability Global Development Politics & International Relations |
| Sumario: | Scientific advancements in the field of non-equilibrium thermodynamics have shown that social-ecological systems belong to the class of complex adaptive systems, a subset of the class of open dissipative systems. A proper characterization of the mechanism allowing the reproduction and adaptation of these systems requires a distinction between flows metabolized inside the technosphere (secondary inputs produced and consumed by the economy, under human control) and flows exchanged between the technosphere and biosphere (primary flows stabilized by natural processes, outside of human control). Adopting this scientific conceptualization, it becomes evident that in the process of production and consumption of goods and services, only secondary flows can be re-used inside the system (as tertiary inputs). On the contrary, primary flows, which are dependent on the existence of external supply and sink capacity provided by nature, and essential, cannot be recycled. By implication, the societal endorsement of the concept of circular economy today appears analogous to the societal endorsement of the concept of flat Earth in the Middle Ages. |
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