Towards a broader systems approach to resource management: an utopian vision to guide realists

Abstract

This paper proposes an ideal/utopian normative vision on sustainable resource management with its twofold aim to highlight; the need to explicate and address the underlying evaluative and normative assumptions in industrial ecology (IE) research (theoretical challenges), and the challenges to implement such broader system level solutions (practical challenges). The main theoretical challenges highlighted in the paper are the lack of linkages between natural science, social science and normative analysis. The main practical challenges remain the issues regarding mutual trust and, governance and regulation in a global context. The normative vision aims to propose actions to develop (current) realistic approaches to resource management.