Abstract
It is no longer a matter of dispute that material and energy flows are important factors in environmental policy, both for the diagnosis of environmental problems and for the development of corresponding corrective measures. We are therefore required to observe these flows and to quantify their scope, their trends, etc. in order to manage them better.1 There is thus agreement on the principle. However, the proposals differ vastly in detail. The broad spectrum of material balance sheets, product line analyses, eco-balance sheets, etc. indicates that various analyses have very different subjects and purposes. It is not the purpose of this chapter to give a complete overview of the different approaches. Most of the activities in this field are geared to individual cases, be they products, activities or regions. We are, however, faced with the question which material and energy flows are important when taking, as in German Environmental—Economic Accounting (GEEA), a macroscopic view of the inter-relationship between the environment and the economy. A brief review reveals the great variety of distinguishing criteria:
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See e.g. German Bundestag commission of enquiry into the protection of mankind and the environment (ed.): Die Industriegesellschaft gestalten — Perspektiven für einen nachhaltigen Umgang mit Stoff-und Materialströmen. Bonn 1994. — German Bundestag commission of enquiry into the protection of the earth’s atmosphere (ed.): Schutz der grünen Erde — Klimaschutz durch umweltgerechte Landwirtschaft und Erhalt der Wälder. Bonn, 1994. — Loo3, A./ Katz, C. (Office for the Assessment of the Consequences of Technology at the German Bundestag, TAB): Abfallvermeidung: Strategien, Instrumente und Bewertungskriterien. TAB-Arbeitsbericht Nr. 16. Bonn, 1993. — Publication of the findings of the `Materials Management for Regional Sustainability’ workshop held by P H Brunner and P Baccini in Vienna, April 1994 (in preparation). — Proposals in the United Nations `System for Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting’ ( SEEA ), Chapter I II.
See e.g. the work of Faucheux et al.,Centre d’Economie et d’Ethique pour l’Environnement et le Developpement, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.
An example at national economy level is Adriaanse’s comparison with the Netherlands’ National Environmental Policy Plan; a similar thing occurs in local units with eco-audits.
The SEEA Handbook gives an overview of both types of approach.
For more details see Thomas, J: Luftemissionsentwicklung der Produktionsbereiche. In: Wirtschaft und Statistik No. 1, 1996.
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Radermacher, W., Stahmer, C. (1998). Material and energy flow analysis in Germany — accounting framework, information system, applications. In: Uno, K., Bartelmus, P. (eds) Environmental Accounting in Theory and Practice. Economy & Environment, vol 11. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1433-4_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-1433-4_12
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