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A Mathematical Model of Sustainable Development Using Ideas of Coupled Environment-Human Systems
Source
The PelicanWeb's Journal of Sustainable Development Vol. 6, No. 5
Publisher
PelicanWeb
Publication date
May 2010
Type
Academic Articles
Category
Sustainability and the Business Case
Environment/Climate Change
Environment/Climate Change
Discipline
Human Resources
Environmental Management
Environmental Management
Language
English
Link
Free/Pay for content
Free
Earth System Analysis was postulated as a theory by
Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber in 1998 as a way to characterise the Earth
System - the coupled relationship between the environment and humans.
Within this theory, is the notion of Geocybernetics – the management of
the Earth System in order to achieve strategies and mechanisms of
co-evolution between the environment and humans. This is regarded as the
concept and application of sustainable development. However, whilst
fundamental definitions in Earth System Analysis are presented for the
coupled relationship between the environment and humans, no such
definitions exist for sustainable development within the Earth System
context.
Consequently, the paper presents a mathematical model of sustainable development which provides for the fundamental abstraction of the key concepts and parameters necessary for sustainable development to occur within the context of the Earth System – the coupled system of relationships and dynamics between the environment and humans. The model utilises basic mathematics to detail these concepts and parameters, as well as the conditions required for sustainable development to occur.
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