Environmental Assessment of Socioeconomic Systems

Neglect of the relation between the socio-economic system and its natural environment has had detrimental consequences in the past, for example - the pollution of the natural environment (water, air and soil) by producing, using and consuming the products of our industrialized economy, - the forseeable exhaustion of natural resources by continuing the increase of industrial production. Most of the recent activities, both in research and in adminis­ tration, against these impacts have been technically oriented, with the aim of stimulating and introducing new technologies of produc­ tion and new products to diminish the environmental pollution. But these efforts, which are of course necessary, cannot be successful in approaching the aim - which should and must in the long-term view be defined as the development of society in balance with the natural environment. Therefore, in addition to an assess­ ment of technologies, emphasis should be put on an assessment of socio-economic systems. On di~~erent levels, individual and social preferences determine quantities and qualities of production and consumption using economical values, e.g., market prices as regula­ tors. Following this argumentation, an environment assessment of activities against pollution has especially to consider the social response to environmental impacts. Of course, this topic must be a subject of interdisciplinary research. The challenge concerned in this context is to increase the knowledge of the relationship between social, economic and tech­ nical subsets.