Conceptual Foundations and Applications of Physical Input-Output Tables

Increasing empirical evidence suggests that current levels of anthropogenic environmental pressures on the world-wide level do not comply with requirements of environmental sustainability (for example, WWF et al. 2004). Especially industrialized countries, responsible for the largest share of pressures on the global environment, are demanded to significantly reduce the material and energy resources used for production and consumption and to achieve de-linking (or de-coupling) of economic growth from environmental degradation. The concept of de-linking was adopted by a large number of national, European and international environmental policies (for example, European Commission 2003; OECD 2004). While de-linking in relative terms decreases the resource intensity of economic processes, absolute de-linking is required from a sustainability point of view, in order to keep economic and social systems within the limits of the ecosphere (Hinterberger et al. 1997).¹

Monitoring the transition of societies towards de-linking targets requires comprehensive and consistent information on the relations between socio-economic activities and resulting environmental consequences. In the past 15 years, a large number of approaches were developed providing this information in biophysical terms.² These methods proved to be appropriate tools to quantify “ societal metabolism ” (Fischer-Kowalski 1998) and to measure the use of “ environmental space ” (Opschoor 1995) by human activities.