BioPhysical Economics, Resource Quality and Sustainability

This Research Topic in Frontiers in Sustainable Resource Management called ‘BioPhysical Economics, Resource Quality and Sustainability’ aims to carry on the traditions of the former journal BioPhysical Economics and Resource Quality, the International Society of BioPhysical Economists, and the still very much functioning organization BioPhysical Economics Institute. It is meant to give a publication place and forum for those environmental or other scientists, economists, financiers and others who need a place to publish and read articles that focus on resources and their relation to economics. While we are well aware that other venues exist, we believe that most of them focus more on environmental impacts or the monetary value of resources or pollutants. We are ultimately interested in building up an approach to economics and decision making based more on the Natural Sciences than just the Social Sciences.We think that the principles of BioPhysical Economics will become increasingly important as the depletion of the world’s premium resources continues unabated. Political leaders, voters and citizens who do not understand this process are likely to experience the results as inflation and blame their institutions and leaders, making the world increasingly ungovernable. This is already obvious in the increasingly political unrest of much of the world. Thus we think it extremely important for the future of civilization and Jeffersonian democracy to understand these processes and adjust our institutions and expectations accordingly. This Research Topic is dedicated to elucidating and quantifying the effects of natural resource quantity and quality on economies, sustainability, and human well-being. An explicit premise of the journal is that the energy and materials basis of the economic process can be understood only through a convergence of ideas and concepts from the natural and physical sciences, such as finite resources, renewable resources, and resource quality, with the social, behavioral, and institutional aspects of economics. The systemic connections and dynamic interactions to be explored in integrated economic analyses include: Net energy and energy return on investment (EROI), earth-society system interactions, food production, water supply, and depletion modeling of key metals and other economically important mineral and biological resources. The collection will explore the relation of these factors to markets, economic growth, urban sustainability, and technological change. ‘BioPhysical Economics, Resource Quality and sustainability (BERQ)’ emphasizes empirical and systems-oriented studies and models, but welcomes any relevant perspective. As society attempts to transition away from carbon-intensive energy resources, scientists, economists, partners in industry, and policy makers will benefit from objective, multidisciplinary research and commentary on these critical issues.Topic Editor, Dr. Bijan Rahimi is President and Technical Director for Enaxiom Pty Ltd. No other potential conflicts of interest are declared by the Topic Editor team. Topic editors: Charles Hall, Graham Palmer, Bijan Rahimi Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77013/biophysical-economics-resource-quality-and-sustainability