10
had not been decoupled on an absolute basis from gross domestic product per capita. At present, there exist NMAs for almost all countries of the world, documenting
annual material extraction and use as well as trade for the past several decades
(Schaffartzik et al. 2014 ).
3.5 Input–Output Analysis
Input–output tables (IOT) in economics quantify the transactions that occur between
different industrial sectors in an economy. They are expressed as fl ows from one
sector to another measured in either monetary or mixed units. After some early
thoughts on how economics and industrial practice might be linked (Leontief 1970 ;
Ayres 1978 ; Forsund 1985 ), IOA was proposed as relevant to industrial ecology in
1992 (Duchin 1992 ). The extension of IO tables to include specifi c data about
industrial/environmental problems followed fairly soon thereafter in the form of
“environmental IOTs” (EIOTs) or “physical IOTs” (PIOTs) (Lave et al. 1995 ;
Kondo et al. 1998 ; Lenzen 2001 ; Nakamura and Kondo 2002 ).
An increasing number of national statistical offi ces produce input–output tables
on a regular basis, an activity that provides substantial information that industrial
ecology can draw upon. Enhancements to the earlier EIOT and PIOT methodologies
have now rendered input–output analysis increasingly relevant to industrial ecology
and increasingly practiced with the fi eld (Suh 2009 ). Several environmentally
extended input–output databases covering the global economy are now available
(see Chap. 8 ). Empirical studies using IO databases are used to analyze problems of
concern in industrial ecology; examples are Nakamura and Kondo ( 2009 ) on waste
management (see Chap. 12 ) and Lopez–Morales and Duchin ( 2011 ) on water management. In addition, a number of environmentally extended multiregional input–
output models allow the attribution of globally extracted natural resources to
individual countries and economic sectors worldwide (Wiedmann et al. 2013 ).
3.6 Urban Metabolism
In principle, urban metabolism might not necessarily be regarded as a distinct
branch of the fi eld, because it merely applies industrial ecology tools in a specifi c
spatial location. In practice, however, cities are centers of population, of resource
use, and of waste generation, and the data available for such systems is often richer
than elsewhere. As a consequence, urban metabolism has become a subspecialty of
industrial ecology and one that is increasingly widely practiced (see Chap. 4 ).
The concept of urban metabolism is attributed to a 1965 paper by Wolman. One
of the earliest studies of a quantifi ed urban metabolism is Newcombe et al.’s analysis of resource fl ows in Hong Kong ( 1978 ). This exceptionally detailed study, still a
model for today’s efforts, quantifi ed fl ows of human and animal food, glass, plasT.E. Graedel and R.J. Lifset
had not been decoupled on an absolute basis from gross domestic product per capita. At present, there exist NMAs for almost all countries of the world, documenting
annual material extraction and use as well as trade for the past several decades
(Schaffartzik et al. 2014 ).
3.5 Input–Output Analysis
Input–output tables (IOT) in economics quantify the transactions that occur between
different industrial sectors in an economy. They are expressed as fl ows from one
sector to another measured in either monetary or mixed units. After some early
thoughts on how economics and industrial practice might be linked (Leontief 1970 ;
Ayres 1978 ; Forsund 1985 ), IOA was proposed as relevant to industrial ecology in
1992 (Duchin 1992 ). The extension of IO tables to include specifi c data about
industrial/environmental problems followed fairly soon thereafter in the form of
“environmental IOTs” (EIOTs) or “physical IOTs” (PIOTs) (Lave et al. 1995 ;
Kondo et al. 1998 ; Lenzen 2001 ; Nakamura and Kondo 2002 ).
An increasing number of national statistical offi ces produce input–output tables
on a regular basis, an activity that provides substantial information that industrial
ecology can draw upon. Enhancements to the earlier EIOT and PIOT methodologies
have now rendered input–output analysis increasingly relevant to industrial ecology
and increasingly practiced with the fi eld (Suh 2009 ). Several environmentally
extended input–output databases covering the global economy are now available
(see Chap. 8 ). Empirical studies using IO databases are used to analyze problems of
concern in industrial ecology; examples are Nakamura and Kondo ( 2009 ) on waste
management (see Chap. 12 ) and Lopez–Morales and Duchin ( 2011 ) on water management. In addition, a number of environmentally extended multiregional input–
output models allow the attribution of globally extracted natural resources to
individual countries and economic sectors worldwide (Wiedmann et al. 2013 ).
3.6 Urban Metabolism
In principle, urban metabolism might not necessarily be regarded as a distinct
branch of the fi eld, because it merely applies industrial ecology tools in a specifi c
spatial location. In practice, however, cities are centers of population, of resource
use, and of waste generation, and the data available for such systems is often richer
than elsewhere. As a consequence, urban metabolism has become a subspecialty of
industrial ecology and one that is increasingly widely practiced (see Chap. 4 ).
The concept of urban metabolism is attributed to a 1965 paper by Wolman. One
of the earliest studies of a quantifi ed urban metabolism is Newcombe et al.’s analysis of resource fl ows in Hong Kong ( 1978 ). This exceptionally detailed study, still a
model for today’s efforts, quantifi ed fl ows of human and animal food, glass, plasT.E. Graedel and R.J. Lifset