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Regional sustainable environmental management: sustainability metrics research for decision makers
Citation:
HOPTON, M. Regional sustainable environmental management: sustainability metrics research for decision makers. Presented at the Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program Seminar Series ( Webnar in Juan PR) , Raleigh, NC, April 12, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform EPA
Description:
There are a number of established, scientifically supported metrics of sustainability. Many of the metrics are data intensive and require extensive effort to collect data and compute. Moreover, individual metrics may not capture all aspects of a system that are relevant to sustainability. A pilot project was initiated to test an approach to measure, monitor, and maintain prosperity and environmental quality of a regional system. The goal was to produce a straightforward, inexpensive methodology that is simple to use and interpret. We assembled a multidisciplinary research group and identified the major components of an environmental system. We selected metrics to capture the multidimensionality of sustainability in environmental systems and included: 1) emergy to capture the quality-normalized flow of energy through the system; 2) ecological footprint to capture the impact of humans on the system; 3) green net regional product to estimate well-being within the system; and 4) Fisher information to capture the dynamic order of the system. We were able to compute metrics for a test geographic region using existing data sets. Our results indicate this regional system may be moving away from sustainability. Importantly, the research identified a number of recommendations to improve research on sustainability metrics. We are implementing many of the recommendations and lessons learned in a follow-on project in Puerto Rico.