A Systems Approach to an Integrated Environmental Model

Abstract

An IEM is characterized by a formal and coherent model structure for environmental phenomena, in which the constituents emerge from various modules whose nature originates from (spatial-) economics, ecology, demography, geography, transportation analysis, etc. The various IEMs presented in Chapter 2 showed that the phenomena and processes described in the modules differ in nature as well as in the contents of the variables. The economic part of an IEM may include, for example, such variables as production, consumption and employment, while the ecological part may include variables which reflect the association and diversity of ecosystems. However, despite the differences between these phenomena originating from various disciplines, they may interact with each other in an IEM. The examples of IEMs presented in Chapter 2, and followed in Chapter 3 by an overall discussion of the common characteristics, also showed the relevance of a systematic approach to the development of an IEM.