Emergy analysis to understand the complexity of climate actions
An integrated emergy approach to assess the scientific, social, and legal dimensions of climate policies
Published on 04 December 2025 | News
Addressing the challenges posed by climate change requires tools capable of considering not only scientific data but also the social, legal, and economic aspects that influence environmental policy planning. In this context, a recent Commentary published in npj Climate Action by Francesco Gonella, Silvia Bagni, coordinator of the LUMEN project at UNIBO, Michele Carducci, and Luigi Conte proposes the use of emergy analysis as an innovative approach to understand and quantify the complexity of climate actions.
In this Commentary, Silvia Bagni, Francesco Gonella, Michele Carducci, and Luigi Conte – long-time collaborators of the project – highlight how emergy analysis goes beyond the anthropocentric perspective of current measures, allowing the evaluation of natural and human resource flows within a thermodynamic quantitative framework. This methodology is presented as a key tool to effectively address both local and global challenges related to climate change.