Integrated Environmental Management - IEM

                                 Image Source: The Vane 2015. A holistic approach of IEM aims to confront complexities within human and environmental systems that interconnect. It is no easy task to define the various moving parts that are constantly changing. Calculating the changes within the economic, political, social, ecological and planetary systems is complex. If something changes at one point, what will happen at another? The question must be posed, what are the short and long-term effects, and how will those effects impact on other interconnected moving parts?   Buhrs (1995) highlights this complex process for IEM and explains the environment as being an invisible system that if one aspect is influenced, then feedback from the change feeds onto other components of the system. An IEM approach can include an array of techniques such as policy and planning adjustments, systemic...

  Image Source: Our Wold in Data A Plethora of Unsolved Environmental Problems There are so many unsolved environmental problems because those in power want to keep us on track for eternal economic growth. And, oddly the adverse environmental effects from economic activities are not really accounted for. Since 1800, the human population has increased in number (from one billion to almost 8 billion today), we have increased the use of fossil fuels for products and energy consumption. We as a species have become a super-organism and now the ecosystems that support us are under excessive stress. It has been predicted that many ecosystems will collapse if we continue on our current trajectory.  Environmental – what does this mean? In the context Integrated Environmental Management (IEM), the environment refers to the natural environment which encompasses the biophysical elements and systems that maintain life on this planet, for example, air, water, soil. However, there are many...

  The Beehive, Wellington NZ. Image source: Rod Barker Many of the issues we face in industrialised society are influenced by an array of political, economic and social factors. The ideals and strivings for improvements often become the very things that create the issues we seek to overcome.  Within this blog over the course of my study of integrated environmental management (IEM) , I aim to describe and analyse a range of integrated environmental management issues. It's important firstly for me to understand what IEM is before I confuse myself and others.  According to  European Communities  (2007), IEM seeks solutions, is future focused, goal oriented,  finds integrated approaches for environmental management that can include strategic and systems thinking that incorporate policies, town planning, economic measures, social and environmental measures. It makes sense that attention must be paid to the inputs and outputs from human activities. For instance...