Sustainability requires the redefinition of the terms of reference for agricultural activities, which must be based on the recognition of multi-functional land use and the complex role that agriculture plays in society. The ability to renegotiate new terms of reference for agriculture, in turn,...

This paper presents two applications of the multi-scale integrated analysis of societal metabolism (MSIASM) approach. The first application shows that accounting the metabolism of a society in both economic and biophysical terms supports a better understanding of mechanisms determining...

Science for sustainability policy requires the handling of multi-dimensional and multi-scale analyses. Integrated assessment is about generating information relevant for decision-making. This generates a divide between two scientific paradigms: (1) ‘Post-Normal Science’ acknowledges the...

In assessing the sustainability of island tourism, the resident population size and yearly number of visitors are key factors. However, to assess the overall resource requirement and environmental impact on local ecosystems, we must also consider the metabolic rates and density of energy and...

The multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach makes it possible to perform a check on the feasibility and desirability of patterns of metabolism of socio-economic systems by providing a characterization at different levels and scales of: (a) the...