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In-use stocks of buildings, infrastructure, or products are central in understanding the transition from the present to different possible future states (Pauliuk and
Müller 2014 ). In-use stocks therefore need to be part of prospective models of
socioeconomic metabolism. They are commonly represented as dynamic stock or
population balance models, which are time series of stocks that are broken down
into age cohorts and specifi c product types or technologies. The items in each age
cohort and technology class can have specifi c material composition, energy effi -
ciency, and other parameters necessary to determine the requirements and emissions
of each item in the stock during its useful life.
Next to in-use stocks, prospective models of SEM contain descriptions of the
industries to build up, maintain, and dispose of these stocks and markets that distribute products or product mixes across users. In-use stocks, industries, and markets
are arranged into a general system description of socioeconomic metabolism
(Fig. 2.1 ). The universal system structure of the socioeconomic metabolism in
flows
flows
flows
Fig. 2.1 The general structure of the system defi nitions of the prospective industrial ecology models (Adapted from Pauliuk et al. ( 2015 ))
2 Prospective Models of Society’s Future Metabolism: What Industrial Ecology Has…
In-use stocks of buildings, infrastructure, or products are central in understanding the transition from the present to different possible future states (Pauliuk and
Müller 2014 ). In-use stocks therefore need to be part of prospective models of
socioeconomic metabolism. They are commonly represented as dynamic stock or
population balance models, which are time series of stocks that are broken down
into age cohorts and specifi c product types or technologies. The items in each age
cohort and technology class can have specifi c material composition, energy effi -
ciency, and other parameters necessary to determine the requirements and emissions
of each item in the stock during its useful life.
Next to in-use stocks, prospective models of SEM contain descriptions of the
industries to build up, maintain, and dispose of these stocks and markets that distribute products or product mixes across users. In-use stocks, industries, and markets
are arranged into a general system description of socioeconomic metabolism
(Fig. 2.1 ). The universal system structure of the socioeconomic metabolism in
flows
flows
flows
Fig. 2.1 The general structure of the system defi nitions of the prospective industrial ecology models (Adapted from Pauliuk et al. ( 2015 ))
2 Prospective Models of Society’s Future Metabolism: What Industrial Ecology Has…