On the LCA list Simon asked: Are there any tangible examples of where something meaningful was created (not necessarily materially produced) by humans undertaking a \u201cwhole systems accounting\u201d approach? \u00a0I had offered the obscure example of one of my proud little examples, a whole system account of money exchange in a 1985 paper for SGSR proving that learning lags would be a limit for economic growth, and later the following. P.S.<\/p>\n
Simon,<\/p>\n
Perhaps better examples of \u201cwhole systems accounting\u201d would be the more common ways that the whole systems are accounted for.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0One is energy budgets the way the physicists do it, like for the climate models.<\/p>\n
They don\u2019t just add up the totals. \u00a0They divide up a pie they already know the total of, measuring the system from both inside and out. \u00a0That forces them into doing what is needed to explain the difference. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n
That’s how “entropy” was discovered, for example. \u00a0How entropy is defined is as the losses one needs to account for, given that the law of energy conservation makes it clear there are no actual losses in nature.<\/p>\n
Another example would be business models, where adding up all the costs (inside info) and sales (outside info) needs to both predict and demonstrate a “net-energy” or “profit” for the system to be sustainable in practice. \u00a0Otherwise the business won\u2019t have sufficient resources to remain stable, and wouldn’t have resources to use for its own growth or maintenance.<\/p>\n
LCA is done without a functional outside boundary to push against, though. \u00a0It needs one to validate it\u2019s inside accounts of whole business impacts , as the above examples do.<\/p>\n
I discovered that gap in LCA because I used the physics approach for energy budgets along with a statistical finding that for economies, average spending should consume average amounts of energy (measuring \u2018average\u2019 as global fuel use divided by global GDP) .<\/p>\n
Why I didn\u2019t write up my studies showing the problem for a while. \u00a0 I got deeply enough into LCA theory, in reading Trelor, to find I\u2019d need help with other details of the theory.<\/p>\n
To write it up I need to correctly narrow down the difference for individual cases where\u00a0LCA seems to estimate far below average energy consumption, for what seemed like above average energy uses (building buildings).\u00a0 \u00a0I\u2019m still looking for someone to help do that. \u00a0 A compact outline of the approach I think might work is on my “DollarShadow<\/a>” research notes page.<\/p>\n I would also then use the whole system LCA measure as part of a total balance account (TBA). \u00a0That makes it possible to include the time dimension and other impact factors and compensations, critical to balanced decision making. \u00a0I\u2019ve sketched out my general approach in my 4Dsustainability model<\/a>.<\/p>\n As to my application of whole system accounts to the money system, I\u2019d be glad to answer questions (and find out what needs to be better explained in that 1985 paper).\u00a0\u00a0 That learning lags beyond slowing down critical responses could apply to a global system is the key.<\/p>\n It\u2019s just a larger scale version of turning in your homework after the grades are handed out. \u00a0 The response is too late and your system fails.<\/p>\n Compare that idea of a general inability to understand our choices, with the world\u2019s present quandary over how to grow the economy and shrink our impacts at the same time, as our financial system is teetering on the verge of collapse\u2026\u00a0 That\u2019s a failing grade in our learning task it seems to me.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been watching closely for years as our whole \u201cjust out of time\u201d learning curve was falling behind.\u00a0\u00a0 My simple opinion is that knowing there will be an end of growth (the clear implication of a whole system accounting) it would be better to do that according to our own choice of methods.<\/p>\n If we leave it to nature, which of our values gets discarded will be done her way, and out of our control.\u00a0\u00a0 Of course, it\u2019s not as simple as that, but that\u2019s at least a simple principle that could be used to help us think about our real choices.<\/p>\n Best,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On the LCA list Simon asked: Are there any tangible examples of where something meaningful was created (not necessarily materially produced) by humans undertaking a \u201cwhole systems accounting\u201d approach? \u00a0I had offered the obscure example of one of my proud little examples, a whole system account of money exchange in a 1985 paper for SGSR … Continue reading Examples of \u201cwhole systems accounting\u201d<\/span>