Training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD ...€¦ · Training and Continuing Professional Development ... 58 out of 3,000 total learners (2%) have opted to pay for a

Horizon 2020 Societal challenge 5:

Climate action, environment, resource

efficiency and raw materials

www.magic-nexus.eu

Deliverable 7.3

Training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Course – Teaching Material

Contributors:

Sandra G.F. Bukkens (UAB), Louisa Jane Di Felice (UAB), Mario Giampietro (UAB), Violeta Cabello Villarejo (UAB), Juan Cadillo

Benalcazar (UAB), Zora Kovacic (UAB), Cristina Madrid (UAB/YALE), Ansel F. Renner (UAB), Maddalena Ripa (UAB), Tarik Serrano Tovar

(UAB), Raúl Velasco Fernández (UAB)

July 2018

D7.3 Continuing Professional Development

2

Please cite as:

Bukkens S.G.F., Di Felice L.J., Giampietro M., Cabello Villarejo V., Cadillo Benalcazar J.J., Kovacic Z., Madrid C., Renner A.F., Ripa M., Serrano Tovar T., Velasco Fernández R. – Training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course – Teaching material

MAGIC (H2020–GA 689669) Project Deliverable 7.3

Date: July 2018

Disclaimer:

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 689669. The present work reflects only the authors' view and the funding Agency cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

MAGIC – GA 689669

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Content

Content ............................................................................................................................................. 3

List of figures ..................................................................................................................................... 4

Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................... 4

Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 5

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 7

2. Massive Open Online Course ......................................................................................................... 7

2.1 General information ................................................................................................................ 7

2.1.1 Coursera platform ............................................................................................................. 8

2.1.2 Course staff ....................................................................................................................... 8

2.1.3 Promo video...................................................................................................................... 9

2.2 Description of contents ............................................................................................................ 9

2.3 Course frequency and customization ..................................................................................... 11

2.4 Reach, audience and ratings .................................................................................................. 11

2.4.1 Reach .............................................................................................................................. 11

2.4.2 Audience ......................................................................................................................... 11

2.4.3 Ratings ............................................................................................................................ 12

3. Summer Schools .......................................................................................................................... 13

3.1 Summer school 2017 ............................................................................................................. 13

3.1.1 Organization ................................................................................................................... 13

3.1.2 Contents of 2017 edition ................................................................................................. 13

3.1.3 Audience ......................................................................................................................... 14

3.2 Summer school 2018 ............................................................................................................. 14

3.2.1 Organization ................................................................................................................... 14

3.2.2 Contents of 2018 edition ................................................................................................. 14

3.2.3 Audience ......................................................................................................................... 15

4. Future activities of continued professional education .................................................................. 15

Appendix 1: Detailed description of MOOC content ......................................................................... 17

Appendix 2: Programmes of the 2017 and 2018 Summer Schools .................................................... 24


4

List of figures

Figure 1: Geographic location of learners enrolled in the MOOC Sustainability of Social-Ecological

Systems: The Nexus between Water, Energy and Food to date (23 July 2018)............................. 12

Figure 2: Gender and age of learners enrolled in the MOOC Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems:

The Nexus between Water, Energy and Food to date (23 July 2018) .......................................... 12

Figure 3: Acknowledgement of funding as listed in the MOOC on Coursera ..................................... 17

Abbreviations

CPD: continuing professional development

CPE: continuing professional education

DoA: Description of Action

MAGIC: Moving Towards Adaptive Governance in Complexity: Informing Nexus Security

MOOC: massive open online course

MuSIASEM: Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism

UAB: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

UNINA: Universita Degli Studi di Napoli Federico II/University of Naples Federico II

MAGIC – GA 689669

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Summary

An overview is provided of the teaching material and training and continuing professional

development courses developed within the first 26 project months. This includes a massive open

online course (MOOC), entitled “Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems: The Nexus between

Water, Energy and Food”, and two summer schools. The MOOC consists of eight modules (each

composed of nine video lectures) that together provide the tools to analyze complex social-ecological

systems and describe their water, energy and food metabolism in a coherent way across scales and

dimensions of analysis. Practical case studies, mostly derived from MAGIC WP4 deliverables, illustrate

the methodological approach provided. The MOOC was launched on the Coursera platform in July

2017 and has attracted 3,000 learners, mostly professionals, in its first year. In addition, two summer

schools were organized in July 2007 (Naples, Italy) and July 2008 (Geneva, Switzerland), based on the

materials developed for the MOOC and preliminary MAGIC results. Summer schools were small scale

and focused on in-depth training and discussion and hands-on working groups, thus complementing

the mass approach of the MOOC.


6

MAGIC – GA 689669

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1. Introduction

This deliverable refers to the task of organizing “a training and continuing professional development

course to be used as the basis for the development of an academic course on the nexus” (DoA–Task

7.4). This logically includes the production of teaching and training material. This deliverable and the

corresponding Task 7.4 form part of the implementation of the MAGIC dissemination plan and the

development of the nexus knowledge hub (WP7). Note that continuing professional development

(CPD) is interpreted to mean continuing professional education (CPE), which would be the preferred

term in this context.

The description of Task 7.4 is broad and allows for many possible interpretations and

implementations. However, given the explicit reference to laying a foundation for an academic course,

the development of a massive open online course (MOOC) was considered the best approach. This for

the following reasons: (i) potential to reach a very broad audience, professionals and academic

students alike, independent of geographic location; (ii) versatility in its use, either as a self-standing

complete course or customized to specific purposes (e.g., academic courses); (iii) the possibility to

continuously update the teaching material (video lectures, quizzes); and, last but not least, (iv) the

free technical support offered by the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona following the successful

application to an internal call for developing a MOOC. Section 2 of this deliverable reports on the

MOOC developed: Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems: The Nexus between Water, Energy and

Food.

In addition to the MOOC, two summer schools were organized, in July 2007 and July 2018, that built

on the preliminary outcomes of MAGIC and the material developed for the MOOC. Details on the

summer schools are provided in section 3.

In line with the time span of Task 7.4 (M24-48), further activities are anticipated that will build on,

expand and/or customize the teaching material thus far developed. These activities will be reported

upon in the forthcoming update of the dissemination plan (D7.9, M30) and the second periodic and

final reports.

2. Massive Open Online Course

2.1 General information

In spring 2016 MAGIC coordinator Mario Giampietro made a successful application to an internal call

launched by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) for the development of a MOOC on the

platform Coursera. The proposal for the MOOC ‘Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems: the Nexus

between Water, Energy and Food’ was motivated by two purposes: (i) the development of a CPE

course for MAGIC (Task 7.4 of the DoA), and (ii) producing e-support for the Master program/modules

on Participatory Integrated Assessment of Energy Systems to Promote Energy Access and Efficiency

developed in the project PARTICIPIA, also coordinated by Mario Giampietro and funded under the

EDULINK II programme; an ACP-EU Co-operation Programme in Higher Education funded by the

European Development Fund (EDF) and the Development Co-operation Instrument – Relations with


8

South Africa (DCI). The UAB grant for the development of a MOOC was awarded in June 2016 and

consisted in free technical support for digital video making, the use of software and equipment for the

registration of the videos, development of a promo-video, and interfacing with Coursera.

As stipulated in the call, free technical support was provided by the UAB during the academic year

2016-2017. This was convenient for the project PARTICIPIA, drawing to a close at that time, but made

that the development of the CPE for MAGIC was undertaken ahead of the time schedule foreseen in

the DoA. As a consequence, video lectures particularly relevant for PARTICIPIA (e.g., Module 4—The

challenge of energy accounting) were recorded first, while modules building on the preliminary results

and case studies of MAGIC (e.g., Module 7—Applications of MuSIASEM 2.0) were completed at the

very end, in May-June 2017. The MOOC was launched on Coursera in July 2017, and the first public

session started in August 2017.

2.1.1 Coursera platform

The MOOC Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems: The Nexus between Water, Energy and Food is

offered through the Coursera platform: https://www.coursera.org/. In 2017 Coursera headed the top

five of MOOC providers in the world based on registered users, with over 2,700 active courses,

followed by edX, XuetangX, Udacity, and FutureLearn (https://www.class-central.com/report/mooc-

stats-2017/). While at the onset all MOOCs were completely free, nowadays MOOCs exist along a

spectrum, with fully-free courses at one end and completely-paid online courses at the other end.

Despite these changing policies, the MOOC Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems: The Nexus

between Water, Energy and Food is available free of charge in line with UAB policy. However,

participants who wish to obtain a Coursera course certificate, proof that one completed and passed

the course, must pay a fee of 41 € to Coursera. The certificate shows that the student has passed the

course, but it is not an official qualification of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Thus far, only

58 out of 3,000 total learners (2%) have opted to pay for a Coursera certificate (as of 22 July 2018).

The MOOC is listed under the field/theme of physical science and engineering, topic: environmental-

science-and-sustainability. It is currently the only result entry returned by the Coursera search engine

for the term ‘nexus’.

2.1.2 Course staff

Outline and development of MOOC contents was coordinated by Mario Giampietro, with the help of

Louisa Jane Di Felice. The MOOC video lectures were realized by: Mario Giampietro (modules 1-4, 6,7),

Cristina Madrid Lopez (module 5), Violeta Cabello Villarejo (module 5,7), Tarik Serrano (module 6,7),

Maddalena Ripa (module 6), Zora Kovacic (module 6) (all personnel of Universitat Autònoma de

Barcelona), and guest-lecturer Andrea Saltelli of the University of Bergen (module 8). All lecturers

produced their own presentations, which were then edited by Louisa Jane Di Felice. Video production

(including design and realization of the promo video) was realized by the Àrea de planificació de

Sistemes d’Informació of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Contact with the learners and

correction of MOOC assignments is taken care of by Louisa Jane Di Felice and Ansel F. Renner during

each cycle of the course. The original proposal for the MOOC in response to the call for funding from

the UAB was written by Mario Giampietro and Sandra G.F. Bukkens.

https://www.coursera.org/

https://www.class-central.com/report/mooc-stats-2017/

https://www.class-central.com/report/mooc-stats-2017/

MAGIC – GA 689669

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2.1.3 Promo video

A promotional video to publicize the MOOC was designed and developed by Mario Guerra of the Àrea

de planificació de Sistemes d’Informació of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, as part of the

technical support provided by the UAB. The promo video is accessible on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0orXZnJ2Djo&feature=youtu.be

2.2 Description of contents

The MOOC consists of eight modules, preceded by an introduction to the course. Course duration is

eight weeks, corresponding to one module per week. Course content is briefly described below

(content as listed on Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-social-ecological-

systems). A complete description of all video lectures is provided in Annex 1. Note that course content

may be updated at all times.

“In this course you will become familiar with the ideas of the water-energy-food nexus and

transdisciplinary thinking. You will learn to see your community or country as a complex social-

ecological system and to describe its water, energy and food metabolism in the form of a pattern, as

well as to map the categories of social actors. We will provide you with the tools to measure the nexus

elements and to analyze them in a coherent way across scales and dimensions of analysis. In this way,

your quantitative analysis will become useful for informed decision-making. You will be able to detect

and quantify dependence on non-renewable resources and externalization of environmental

problems to other societies and ecosystems (a popular ‘solution’ in the western world). Practical case

studies, from both developed and developing countries, will help you evaluate the state-of-play of a

given community or country and to evaluate possible solutions. Last but not least, you will learn to

see pressing social-ecological issues, such as energy poverty, water scarcity and inequity, from a

radically different perspective, and to question everything you’ve been told so far.”

WEEK 1

MODULE 1. Introducing the basic concepts (estimated learning time: 2 h 48 m; 9 video lectures)

“In this first week we will look at the nexus from a different perspective: What is the nexus? Why is it

getting all this attention right now? Is it just a buzzword, or something more? We will start by

explaining what the nexus means in terms of complexity and propose the basic concepts needed for

a metabolic analysis of the nexus. It might take a while to get your head around these concepts, but

they are essential to understand what comes next. Finally, we will give examples of “elephants in the

room” in the sustainability discourse – to show you that mainstream narratives are not always right.”

WEEK 2

MODULE 2. Acknowledging the poor quality of existing quantitative analyses (estimated learning time:

2 h 33 m; 9 video lectures)

“This week is all about narratives, framing and complexity. You will see how different narratives affect

quantitative assessments, and why numbers aren’t always right. We will delve deeper into the

theoretical basis of complex systems, and propose alternative ways of doing sustainability analysis,

through the use of grammars.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0orXZnJ2Djo&feature=youtu.be

https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-social-ecological-systems



10

WEEK 3

Module 3. The challenge of food accounting (estimated learning time: 2h 47m; 9 videos lectures)

“Having introduced the basis of metabolic analysis and complex systems, we will now focus on the

different elements of the nexus, starting with food. We will start by answering some seemingly basic

questions: what do we mean by food, and how can it be accounted? Which qualities of food can and

cannot be accounted for in terms of numbers? Practical examples will guide you along the way, and

by the end of the week you will see why the current agricultural system is unsustainable to its core.”

WEEK 4

Module 4. The challenge of energy accounting (estimated learning time: 2h 23m; 9 video lectures)

“This week we will look at energy. As we did for food, we will start by looking at the problems of energy

accounting, and setting a framework to allow us to carry out energy analyses across levels and scales.

You will see why energy accounting is one of the most problematic aspects of sustainability, and

through the example of the Energiewende we will explore how this affects policy.”

WEEK 5

Module 5. The challenge of water accounting (estimated learning time: 2h 36m; 9 videos, 1 reading)

“This week is all about water. By now you should be familiar with the concept of grammar, and we will

see how building one for water can help in dealing with its many dimensions. Through the example of

an analysis of the Mauritius Islands, you will become familiar with the many aspects of water

accounting, and by the end of the week you will understand the importance of water in nexus analysis,

especially when it comes to policymaking.”

WEEK 6

Module 6. The metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems across multiple scales and dimensions

(estimated learning time: 3h 4m; 9 video lectures, 2 readings)

“We talked about scales and dimensions a lot, and this week we will explore and understand these

concepts better. You will learn to account for human activity, an essential fund that is often left out

from quantitative analysis, and how GIS tools can be incorporated with the methods you have learnt

so far. This week is heavy on theory, to prepare you for week 7 which is all about applications.”

WEEK 7

Module 7. Applications of MuSIASEM 2.0 (estimated learning time: 3h 50m; 9 video lectures)

“How can the theoretical concepts explained so far be applied to practical examples? After introducing

the basic building blocks of relational analysis needed for our applications, we will look at two real

case examples: a nexus analysis of vegetable production in Almeria, and of a wind-powered

desalination plant in the Canary Islands. By the end of this week you should be able to build processors

and set up nexus analyses.”

WEEK 8

Module 8. Time for "something completely different": from the Cartesian dream to quantitative story-

telling via evidence based policy (estimated learning time: 2h 45m; 9 videos, 4 readings)

MAGIC – GA 689669

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“We are ending the course with something a bit different (thanks to our guest lecturer Andrea Saltelli).

This week we leave quantitative assessments behind, and take some time to reflect upon why it is

important to do analyses in a different way. We will introduce the concepts of post-normal science

and quantitative story-telling – this will allow you to think deeply about how you frame your analyses

in the future.”

2.3 Course frequency and customization

The MOOC was launched on Coursera on the 3rd of July 2017 and the first public session began on the

28th of August 2017. Since then, public sessions for the course have been automatically scheduled

every 8 weeks on Monday with an enrollment period of 5 days. Future sessions will be scheduled

accordingly. For example, the next upcoming session starts on 30 July 2018, enrollment ends on the

4th of August and the session ends on the 1st of October. The following session starts on the 24th of

September.

The coursera platform offers the possibility to customize course content (e.g., offering only selected

modules) and timing (start date) for selected audiences. This option has been used for the Summer

School of July 2018 (see section 3.2). A ‘private edition’ was offered to the summer school participants

to coincide with the timing of the summer school. Further experimentation with course customization

for small scale and specialized training sessions is anticipated.

2.4 Reach, audience and ratings

2.4.1 Reach

As of 23 July 2018, 8,614 registered Coursera users (mobile and web) visited the course description

page since it started one year ago. As of this same date, exactly 3,000 learners enrolled in the course.

Of these total enrolled learners, 1,656 were active learners (unique enrolled learners who viewed a

reading or discussion, began watching a video, or began an assessment; includes both mobile and web

users). Of the active learners, 24 passed every graded assessment and were issued a Course

Certificate. As is the case with virtually all MOOCs, most drop out occurred during module 1.

2.4.2 Audience

Geographic location of enrolled learners (based on IP address) is shown in Fig. 1. As shown, the

majority of enrolled learners is from Europe and North America. Data on gender, age,

student/employment status and highest education level are only available for a limited number of

learners, as it is not compulsory to provide this information during the enrollment process. According

to data provided by Coursera analytics (see Fig. 2), 41% of enrolled learners are women and 58% men,

almost half of the learners are between 24-34 years of age (based on data from 664 learners only).

Based on data from 331 learners, 41% of learners are students, 46% are employed full time. Most

enrolled learners (83%) have completed a bachelor or higher degree (based on data from 632

learners).


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Figure 1: Geographic location of learners enrolled in the MOOC Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems: The Nexus between Water, Energy and Food to date (23 July 2018). Only the top 7 countries are listed. Data are from Coursera analytics and are based on 2.394 enrolled learners. Location is estimated based on IP address.

Figure 2: Gender and age of learners enrolled in the MOOC Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems: The Nexus between Water, Energy and Food to date (23 July 2018). Data are from Coursera analytics and are based on 664 enrolled learners.

2.4.3 Ratings

As of 23 July 2018, the course rating was 4.9 out of 5 stars, based on 11 ratings. Enrolled learners can

rate courses at any point as they progress. Five public anonymous reviews have been given by course

completers, all of them positive. For details, see: https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-

social-ecological-systems.



MAGIC – GA 689669

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3. Summer Schools

Two summer schools were offered that aimed at small scale in-depth training and hands-on working

groups, thus complementing the mass approach of the MOOC.

3.1 Summer school 2017

3.1.1 Organization

A five-day summer school on ‘A Critical Appraisal of Current Narratives of Sustainability through

Quantitative Storytelling’ was organized from 10-14 July 2017 in Naples, Italy, by the research team of

MAGIC coordinator Mario Giampietro (Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, UAB) in

collaboration with the Department of Biology of the University of Naples Federico II (UNINA) and the

non-profit organization LIPHE4 (https://www.liphe4.org/en/).

The summer school formed part of the series of annual summer schools organized by LIPHE4 since

2004. LIPHE4 is a non-profit organization run by volunteers, including several members of the UAB

MAGIC team, with the purpose of facilitating the organization of educational and research activities

focused on novel approaches in sustainability science. LIPHE4 is candidate to partner with MAGIC in

its task (Task 7.1) of ensuring that project materials will have a life beyond project duration (Milestone

13).

Summer school expenses (venue, travel and accommodation of UAB resource persons, lunches, social

dinner, materials) were partly covered by registration fees (300€ per person) and partly by a small

grant received by the host institution, the Department of Biology of the University of Naples Federico

II (UNINA). The organization, including publicity and registration, was handled by LIPHE4 volunteer

work, and the local host.

Resource persons teaching the summer school included Mario Giampietro (MAGIC), Zora Kovacic

(MAGIC), Tarik Serrano (MAGIC), Maddalena Ripa (MAGIC), Rosaria Chifari, Raúl Velasco Fernández,

Ansel Renner, and Louisa Jane di Felice (MAGIC). A guest lecture on “How to use statistics in

MuSIASEM” was delivered by Roberta Siciliano and Michele Staiano from MAGIC consortium partner

UNINA.

3.1.2 Contents of 2017 edition

The summer school focused on the use of Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem

Metabolism (MuSIASEM) for carrying out relational analysis of the metabolic pattern of social-

ecological systems across different dimensions and scales of analysis. Theory was illustrated with a

critical examination of selected case studies referring to popular narratives, such as circular economy,

bio-economy, low-carbon economy, green growth, and 100% renewable energy cities. A large part of

the material presented during the summer school drew on the preliminary results from MAGIC and

the material developed for the MOOC. The full program is provided in Annex 2.

As is tradition in the LIPHE4 summer schools, lectures were alternated with hands-on working groups

on specific topics, suggested by either the resource persons or participants themselves. Work group

https://magic-nexus.eu/events/summer-school-2017

https://magic-nexus.eu/sites/default/files/files_events/program_liphe4summerschool2017.pdf


14

topics included bio-refineries (on request of participants); circular economy (proposed by organizers);

environmental impact matrix (proposed by organizers); global boundaries (proposed by organizers);

openness of agricultural production systems (proposed by organizers); city metabolism (on request of

participants). Apart from city metabolism, all of these topics coincided with the MAGIC case studies

presented in Deliverable 4.1.

In the 2017 Summer School no explicit cross-reference was made to the MOOC lectures, as the MOOC

had only just be launched on Coursera 3 days before the start of the summer school.

3.1.3 Audience

The summer school counted with 24 participants from Italy (8), Spain (7), France (4), Switzerland (1),

the Netherlands (1), Denmark (1), Sweden (1), and Colombia (1). More than half (15) of the

participants were academic or other professionals (researchers, professors, other), the others MS/PhD

students (9). Two of the participants were researchers from MAGIC’s UNINA team (Giuseppe Pandolfo

and Carmela Iorio) who had missed MAGIC’s dedicated MuSIASEM training session in September 2016

as they were contracted afterwards. No registration fee was charged to MAGIC consortium members.

3.2 Summer school 2018

3.2.1 Organization

The 2018 Summer School took place from 2-6 July at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Following

his participation in the 2017 summer school, Prof. Anthony Lehmann of the University of Geneva

proposed to host the 2018 summer school and focus on the urban nexus. As a result, the 2018 edition

“Can Cities Be Sustainable? Novel tools to explore urban metabolism” was co-organized by the

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), LIPHE4, and the ENVIROSPACE Lab of the University of

Geneva.

Resource persons included: Mario Giampietro (MAGIC), Juan Cadillo Benalcazar (MAGIC), Laura Pérez

Sánchez, Ansel Renner, and Raúl Velasco Fernández (MAGIC), as well as local host Prof. Anthony

Lehmann from the University of Geneva (spatial analysis within MuSIASEM).

Summer school expenses (venue, travel and accommodation of UAB resource persons, lunches, social

dinner, materials) were partly covered by registration fees (400€ per person) and partly by the host

institution (University of Geneva). Organizational work, including publicity and registration, was

handled by LIPHE4 volunteer work, and the local host.

3.2.2 Contents of 2018 edition

Under the theme “Can Cities Be Sustainable? Novel tools to explore urban metabolism”, the summer

school covered: (i) accounting of water, energy, food and waste flows in relation to land uses and

human activity (MuSIASEM); (ii) construction of a multi-level end-use matrix at city level; (iii) relational

analysis (resource nexus approach) applied to the metabolic pattern of urban systems; (iv) the role of

externalization in sustaining urban metabolism. Material presented drew on the MOOC and results

https://magic-nexus.eu/documents/d41-report-nexus-security-using-quantitative-story-telling

https://magic-nexus.eu/events/summer-school-2018

MAGIC – GA 689669

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from MAGIC and the Horizon2020 project EUFORIE1 (UAB is coordinator of MAGIC and consortium

partner in EUFORIE). In particular, the nexus approach developed in MAGIC was applied to city level,

thus expanding the urban energy metabolism approach developed in EUFORIE with other nexus

elements and fully exploiting synergies between the two projects. The detailed program is provided

in Appendix 2.

Participants were strongly encouraged to take the MOOC prior to the summer school and invited to a

private (customized) MOOC session upon enrollment. Cross links to relevant MOOC modules and

lectures were provided in the detailed summer school program (see Appendix 2).

Hands-on working groups during the summer school focused on the following topics: metabolism of

Barcelona (expanding EUFORIE deliverable D4.3 with MAGIC’s nexus approach); metabolism of

Geneva (on request of local organizer, applying the same approach as in the Barcelona case);

comparison of MuSIASEM with other approaches to urban metabolism (on request of participants);

assessment of possible scenarios for the development of eco-villages in abandoned urban areas inside

the metropolitan area of Barcelona (on request of participants).

3.2.3 Audience

The 2018 summer school counted with 13 participants, of whom 9 were MS/PhD students and 4

academic professionals (researchers, professors). Participants came from several different countries

(based on academic affiliation): Belgium (1), Canada (1), Ecuador (2), Germany (1), Netherlands (1),

Spain (1), Sweden (2), Switzerland (3), USA (1). Three of the participants reported to have completed

or nearly completed the MOOC before they enrolled in the summer course.

Participation in the 2018 edition was lower compared to earlier summer schools despite an extensive

publicity campaign (including through the MOOC) and the many expressions of interest received. The

main reason for this appeared to be the location of the summer school (Geneva), it being relatively

expensive compared to previous summer school locations (Barcelona, Naples). Also, local recruitment

by the host institution was disappointing (only three participants from Switzerland).

Linking the MOOC to the summer school program offered notable advantages for the participants but

also unanticipated side effects, namely that of great disparity in preparation level of participants

(those having taken the MOOC versus those not). In the evaluation some participants suggested to

offer courses at differential levels (beginners versus experts) to avoid this problem. This consideration

will be taken into account in the organization of future courses.

4. Future activities of continued professional education

As mentioned in the introduction, continued professional education is part of MAGIC’s broader

dissemination plan and does not end with this deliverable. Future activities are anticipated and

include:

1 European Futures for Energy Efficiency (EUFORIE), Project ID: 649342, CORDIS link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/194572_en.html.

http://www.utu.fi/en/units/euforie/Pages/home.aspx

https://magic-nexus.eu/sites/default/files/files_events/program_liphe4summerschool2018.pdf

http://www.utu.fi/en/units/euforie/Research/deliverables/Documents/EUFORIE_D4.3.pdf


16

Another summer school is planned in July 2019 in Barcelona, in combination with a customized

version of the MOOC, presenting and applying results from MAGIC.

Organization of a short course for Spanish policy makers is being considered, in collaboration with

one of the participants of the 2018 summer school.

A training session at the EC is being considered within the EU learn programme in collaboration

with JRC.

These activities will be reported on in the periodic and/or final technical reporting, and/or update of

the dissemination plan depending on their timing.

MAGIC – GA 689669

17

Appendix 1: Detailed description of MOOC content

WEEK 1

Introduction

Estimated learning time: 1h 23m; 1 video lecture, 8 readings.

Welcome to our course on the sustainability of social-ecological systems! Before getting started, we

suggest you take a couple of minutes to read the information about the course and about the platform

as given below.

Welcome

Video: Welcome to our course on Sustainability (3m)

Reading: Welcome learners!

Basic information

Reading: Course organization

Reading: Grading and logistics

Reading: Acknowledgement

Figure 3: Acknowledgement of funding as listed in the MOOC on Coursera


18

FAQs

Reading: FAQ - General topics Reading: FAQ - Time management Reading: FAQ - Quizzes and assignment Reading: FAQ - Certificate

MODULE 1. Introducing the basic concepts

Estimated learning time: 2 h 48 m; 9 video lectures.

In this first week we will look at the nexus from a different perspective: What is the nexus? Why is it getting all this attention right now? Is it just a buzzword, or something more? We will start by explaining what the nexus means in terms of complexity and propose the basic concepts needed for a metabolic analysis of the nexus. It might take a while to get your head around these concepts, but they are essential to understand what comes next. Finally, we will give examples of “elephants in the room” in the sustainability discourse – to show you that mainstream narratives are not always right.

A. What is “the nexus” and why is it getting all this attention?

Video lecture: Introducing the nexus (17 m; lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video lecture: The challenges faced in nexus analysis (18 m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video lecture: Examples of “different” analyses of the nexus (14 m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

B. The sustainability of the metabolic pattern of Social-Ecological systems

Video lecture: Basic concepts of metabolic analysis (12m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video lecture: The bio-physical roots of metabolic patterns (9m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video lecture: Too rich to be green (13m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

C. Three elephants in the room of the sustainability discourse

Video lecture: The “intolerable” dependence on fossil fuel imports (11m, lecturer: Mario

Giampietro)

Video lecture: Circular economy, Bioeconomy and Zero-emissions (15m, lecturer: Mario

Giampietro)

Video lecture: Jevon’s paradox and the myth of resource efficiency as a solution for sustainability

(9m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Check what you have learnt

Graded assessment: Quiz 1

WEEK 2

MODULE 2. Acknowledging the poor quality of existing quantitative analyses

Estimated learning time: 2 h 33 m; 9 video lectures.

This week is all about narratives, framing and complexity. You will see how different narratives affect

quantitative assessments, and why numbers aren’t always right. We will delve deeper into the

theoretical basis of complex systems, and propose alternative ways of doing sustainability analysis,

through the use of grammars.

MAGIC – GA 689669

19

A. Terrible simplifiers

Video: Examples of bad indicators (16m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: The fragility of numbers (11m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: Handling the issue of scale (16m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

B. Dealing with complexity

Video: Narratives vs. Storytelling (13m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: The identity in Complex Systems (12m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: The Concept of Holon (17m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

C. Alternative framings of quantitative analysis of sustainability

Video: Grammars: how to keep quantitative analysis semantically open (11m, lecturer: Mario

Giampietro)

Video: Mosaic Effect: integrating quantitative analysis across different hierarchical levels (17m,

lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: The Sudoku Effect – how to handle impredicativity in quantitative analysis (11m, lecturer:

Mario Giampietro)


Graded assignment: Quiz 2

WEEK 3

Module 3. The challenge of food accounting

Estimated learning time: 2h 47m; 9 videos lectures.

Having introduced the basis of metabolic analysis and complex systems, we will now focus on the

different elements of the nexus, starting with food. We will start by answering some seemingly basic

questions: what do we mean by food, and how can it be accounted? Which qualities of food can and

cannot be accounted for in terms of numbers? Practical examples will guide you along the way, and

by the end of the week you will see why the current agricultural system is unsustainable to its core.

A. Food grammars for quantitative accounting

Video: Food accounting (14m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: An example of an integrated quantitative analysis of food metabolism: Ecuador (13m,


Video: What are qualities of the produced food that cannot be considered in qualitative analysis?

(19m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

B. The analysis of the metabolic pattern of food

Video: Pre-industrial metabolic pattern (19m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: Technological lock-in of agriculture (12m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: The post-harvest sector (17m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

C. The unsustainability of the existing pattern of development of agriculture

Video: Feeding the cities (12m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)


20

Video: The mission impossible of agriculture in modern times (17m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: Multifunctional agriculture (16m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Check what you have learnt:


WEEK 4

Module 4. The challenge of energy accounting

Estimated learning time: 2h 23m; 9 video lectures.

This week we will look at energy. As we did for food, we will start by looking at the problems of energy

accounting, and setting a framework to allow us to carry out energy analyses across levels and scales.

You will see why energy accounting is one of the most problematic aspects of sustainability, and

through the example of the Energiewende we will explore how this affects policy.

A. Problems with quantitative accounting

Video: Problems with quantitative accounting (22m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: Exosomatic Metabolism (12m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: EROI a critical appraisal (14m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

B. The analysis of the metabolic pattern of energy

Video: Energy grammar (14m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: Functional and structural components (12m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: Quality of PES (13m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

C. A critical appraisal of existing narratives about alternative energy sources

Video: Energy efficiency for policy targets (13m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: The problem with agro-biofuels (14m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: Energiewende and the problem of intermittents (9m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)



WEEK 5

Module 5. The challenge of water accounting

Estimated learning time: 2h 36m; 9 videos, 1 reading.

This week is all about water. By now you should be familiar with the concept of grammar, and we will

see how building one for water can help in dealing with its many dimensions. Through the example of

an analysis of the Mauritius Islands, you will become familiar with the many aspects of water

accounting, and by the end of the week you will understand the importance of water in nexus analysis,

especially when it comes to policymaking.

A. Defining grammars for water accounting

MAGIC – GA 689669

21

Video: Water analysis in “nexus thinking” (12m, lecturer: Cristina Madrid)

Video: A taxonomy for water analyses (12m, lecturer: Cristina Madrid)

Video: Multi-scale grammars for water (14m, lecturer: Cristina Madrid)

B. Application of grammars to the analysis of water metabolism

Video: The case of Mauritius island (8m, lecturer: Cristina Madrid)

Video: The societal metabolism of water (11m, lecturer: Cristina Madrid)

Video: The ecosystem metabolism of water (9m, lecturer: Cristina Madrid)

C. Unsustainability of existing trends in water metabolism

Video: Incoherent water and food policies (11m, lecturer: Violeta Cabello)

Video: Food security vs. water security (9m, lecturer: Cristina Madrid)

Video: Water-energy nexus: fracking (16m, lecturer: Cristina Madrid)

Complementary readings:

Water metabolism of social-ecological systems



WEEK 6

Module 6. The metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems across multiple scales and dimensions

Estimated learning time: 3h 4m; 9 video lectures, 2 readings.

We talked about scales and dimensions a lot, and this week we will explore and understand these

concepts better. You will learn to account for human activity, an essential fund that is often left out

from quantitative analysis, and how GIS tools can be incorporated with the methods you have learnt

so far. This week is heavy on theory, to prepare you for week 7 which is all about applications.

A. Studying the profile of human activities: the implications of demographic variables

Video: Time use and demographic structure (14m, lecturer: Maddalena Ripa)

Video: Time profile and types of society (10m, lecturer: Zora Kovacic)

Video: Paid work overhead (11m, lecturer: Zora Kovacic)

B. The use of GIS and land use to study rural metabolic patterns

Video: Metabolic pattern of rural communities (15m, lecturer: Tarik Serrano)

Video: Participatory integrated mapping of land uses (8m, lecturer: Tarik Serrano)

Video: GIS tools for diagnosis and simulation (11m, lecturer: Tarik Serrano)

C. Checks on the sustainability of the metabolic patterns of SES

Video: A general framework of analysis of the metabolic pattern of Social-Ecological Systems (14m,


Video: Studying viability and desirability using the concept of Bio-Economic Pressure (17m,



22

Video: Studying feasibility using the concepts of DPSIR and Environmental Impact Matrix (19m,


Complementary readings

Reading: Between theory and quantification

Reading: Report of the Catalonia case study



WEEK 7

Module 7. Applications of MuSIASEM 2.0

Estimated learning time: 3h 50m; 9 video lectures.

How can the theoretical concepts explained so far be applied to practical examples? After introducing

the basic building blocks of relational analysis needed for our applications, we will look at two real

case examples: a nexus analysis of vegetable production in Almeria, and of a wind-powered

desalination plant in the Canary Islands. By the end of this week you should be able to build processors

and set up nexus analyses.

A. Relational analysis of the metabolic pattern of Social-Ecological systems

Video: Basic Concepts of relational analysis (17m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: The concept of processor (11m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

Video: The “tool-kit” to study feasibility, viability and desirability (20m, lecturer: Mario Giampietro)

B. The analysis of the NEXUS in a farming system (Almeria, Spain)

Video: Framing the analysis (8m, lecturer: Violeta Cabello)

Video: Procedure for accounting (12m, lecturer: Violeta Cabello)

Video: Illustration of results (9m, lecturer: Violeta Cabello)

C. The integrated analysis of the NEXUS in action: using alternative energy to desalinate water for use

in agricultural production in the Canary Islands

Video: The framing of the problem (9m, lecturer: Tarik Serrano)

Video: The procedure of accounting with data (11m, lecturer: Tarik Serrano)

Video: Illustration of the results (13m, lecturer: Tarik Serrano)


Peer review: Designing a processor for a coal power plant

WEEK 8

Module 8. Time for "something completely different": from the Cartesian dream to quantitative

story-telling via evidence based policy

Estimated learning time: 2h 45m; 9 videos, 4 readings.

MAGIC – GA 689669

23

We are ending the course with something a bit different (thanks to our guest lecturer Andrea Saltelli).

This week we leave quantitative assessments behind, and take some time to reflect upon why it is

important to do analyses in a different way. We will introduce the concepts of post-normal science

and quantitative story-telling – this will allow you to think deeply about how you frame your analyses

in the future.

A. The Cartesian dream

Video: The dream, from Francis Bacon to Vanevar Bush (10m; lecturer: Andrea Saltelli)

Video: The undoing of the dream (9m; lecturer: Andrea Saltelli)

Video: Trust in Science and trust in quantification (11m; lecturer: Andrea Saltelli)

B. Post-normal science

Video: What is PNS? Is it useful? PNS and quantification (15m; lecturer: Andrea Saltelli)

Video: All models are wrong, some are useful … but when? (11m, lecturer: Andrea Saltelli)

Video: Sensitivity auditing (11m, lecturer: Andrea Saltelli)

C. Quantitative story telling

Video: Why frames matter; social construction of ignorance (9m, lecturer: Andrea Saltelli)

Video: A field example (10m, lecturer: Andrea Saltelli)

Video: Quantitative story telling (10m, lecturer: Andrea Saltelli)

Complementary readings:

Reading: What is science’s crisis really about?

Reading: Post-normal institutional identities

Reading: What is wrong with evidence based policy, and how can it be improved

Reading: Further reading


Graded assignment: Quiz8


24

Appendix 2: Programmes of the 2017 and 2018 Summer Schools

LIPHE4 Summer School

2017 Edition

A Critical Appraisal of

Current Narratives of Sustainability

through Quantitative Storytelling

10-14 July 2017

Botanical Garden, Via Foria 223, Naples, Italy

Organized by:

LIPHE4

Department of Biology of the University of Naples Federico II

ICTA – Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

PROGRAM

This summer school builds on preliminary results from MAGIC, a project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 689669. The summer school reflects only the organisers' view; the funding agency

is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information presented.

WELCOME

The LIPHE4 Summer School is a reference point for young researchers and students who are eager to learn

about novel approaches in the field of Sustainability Studies. The Summer School offers a critical picture,

both theoretical and practical, of recently developed analytical approaches towards sustainable

development. It shows how to integrate quantitative methodologies that analyze and characterize

complex social-ecological systems and their evolution with qualitative methodologies that help structure

the decision process in a social context. With these purposes in mind, both lectures and hands-on case

studies form an integral part of the program. LIPHE4 has run eight regular (open) editions of the summer

school since 2004, and three special editions on specific request of hosting institutions.

The LIPHE4 resource team is composed of post-doctoral researchers, professors, and PhD students from

the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) of the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona

(Spain). This year we count with Mario Giampietro, Zora Kovacic, Tarik Serrano Tovar, Maddalena Ripa,

Rosaria Chifari, Raúl Velasco Fernández, Ansel Renner, and Louisa di Felice, as well as academic staff from

the Department of Biology and the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Naples

Federico II (Angelo Fierro, Michele Staiano, Roberta Siciliano). The 2017 edition of the LIPHE4 Summer

School has been co-organized by our colleagues Angelo Fierro (Eco-indicators Laboratory for

Environmental Sustainability) and Ezio Ricca from the Department of Biology of the University of Naples

Federico II (UNINA), and we are honoured to be able to offer the course in the UNINA facilities in the

beautiful Botanical Garden of Naples.

In this specific 2017 edition of the summer school we illustrate the use of MuSIASEM to carry out relational

analysis of the metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems across different dimensions and scales of

analysis (also known as ‘MuSIASEM 2.0’). To this purpose, we will critically examine selected case studies

referring to popular narratives, such as circular economy, bio-economy, low-carbon economy, green

growth, and 100% renewable energy cities. A large part of the material presented draws on the

preliminary results from the Horizon2020 project “Moving Towards Adaptive Governance in Complexity:

Informing Nexus Security” (MAGIC – https://magic-nexus.eu/).

Mario Giampietro

President, LIPHE4

ICREA Research Professor, ICTA, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

DAY 1 - MONDAY 10 JULY 2016

09:00-09:15 Welcome (Mario Giampietro, ICTA-UAB; Angelo Fierro, UNINA)

Welcome and brief explanation of the organization of the Summer School

09.15–10.00 Session 1A (Mario Giampietro, ICTA-UAB)

Are we using valid narratives to frame the discussion of sustainability policies?

TOPICS: (i) Do our governments understand the systems they wish to regulate? (For instance, is the import

of oil an intolerable fact for our economies? If we had to produce the same energy domestically, would

the economy become richer?); (ii) How circular is our economy? Where and how much can we increase

the circularity of the metabolism of society?; (iii) Can ‘bioeconomy’ be a solution to obtain perpetual

growth? (Or should we rather consider that the concept of bioeconomy was proposed by Georgescu-

Roegen exactly to make the opposite point…?); (iv) Are intermittent sources of electricity a positive

addition to our electric grids?

10.00–11.00 Session 1B (Mario Giampietro, ICTA-UAB)

Acknowledging the implications of complexity: Stop throwing around sloppy numbers!

TOPICS: When dealing with the quantitative representation of complex systems it is impossible to assess

“the right” quantity to be measured. Metabolic systems are open systems operating across different

levels of organization and scales, therefore quantitative assessment make sense only within the narrative

used to frame the analysis: (i) WHY - what is the purpose of the analysis, (ii) HOW - what is the narrative

we are using to explain events; and (iii) WHAT - what is the resulting dimension and scale of analysis to be

used. A few examples of sloppy indicators will be used to illustrate these points.

11.00-11.30 Coffee break (you will need it)

11.30–12.30 Session 2A (Rosaria Chifari, ICTA-UAB)

Examples of MuSIASEM in action – generating useful information for tackling specific problems

TOPICS: Participatory integrated assessment of the performance of the solid waste management system

of Naples. Organizing and interfacing the quantitative analysis of biophysical flows with socio-economic

analysis to generate a decision support tool in the form of an integrated package of indicators selected “à

la carte” by social actors through participatory processes.


Applications of MuSIASEM to explore the Nexus between water, food, energy, land use and

population

TOPICS: The relational analysis of the metabolic pattern of socio-ecological systems makes it possible to

establish a relation between the internal and external view of metabolic processes and to establish a

bridge across different hierarchical levels of analysis. This makes it possible to check three key aspects of

sustainability: (i) feasibility - compatibility with processes outside human control; (ii) viability -

compatibility with processes under human control); (iii) desirability - compatibility with normative values

and institutions. Describing how pre-industrial economies became industrial economies, then how did

they move to post-industrial economies in the first stage of globalization to finally arrive to the stage of

Ponzi-scheme economics. The “politically correct” framing of sustainability associated with the stage of

Ponzi scheme economics can be better defined as the delirium of urban elites.

13:30-15:00 Lunch break

15.00-15.30 Presentation of participants

15.30-16.15 Introduction and discussion of possible case studies

16:15-16:45 The BIOCA Project as a Case Study for the application of the MuSIASEM approach (Martino

Nieddu, Franck-Dominique Vivien & Jean-Daniel Houeto, Université de Reims Champagne-

Ardenne)

16:45-17.30 Formation of working groups

DAY 2 - TUESDAY 11 JULY 2016


Integrated multi-scale analysis of the metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems

TOPICS: What are the expected characteristics of the class of metabolic systems (type vs individuals). Back

to Schroedinger and Prigogine to explain the relational nature of nested metabolic systems (direct vs

mutual information). The usefulness of information, models and controls can only be checked within a

semiotic process: if they result useful in relation to a final cause. Relational analysis of metabolic systems:

the concept of ‘processor’ and the scaling from structural to functional components in metabolic

networks. How to use the four Aristotelian causes to identify functional and structural elements within a

metabolic system.

10.00-11.00 Session 3B (Mario Giampietro, ICTA-UAB)

Conceptual building blocks of MuSIASEM: using grammars for accounting food and energy flows

TOPICS: The flow-fund model of Georgescu-Roegen can be used implement the quantitative analysis of

metabolic flows within metabolic systems. Examples of how to represent the production (Primary Sources

Energy Carriers) and consumption (Energy Carriers End Uses) of “energy” in a society.

Examples of how to represent the production (Primary Sources Nutrient Carriers) and consumption

(Nutrient Carriers End Uses) of “food” in a society.

11.00-11.30 Coffee break

11.30-12.30 Session 4A (Maddalena Ripa, ICTA-UAB)

Time Use Analysis: How to organize quantitative information about human time allocation

TOPICS: (i) The constraints imposed by the profile of time use on the organization of societal activities; (ii)

The implications of demographic variables (physiological overhead); (iii) The implications of the definition

of “desirability” (level of services); (iv) A grammar to handle the analysis of the profile of human activities.

12.30–13.30 Session 4B (Raúl Velasco and Maddalena Ripa, ICTA-UAB)

Conceptual building blocks of MuSIASEM: the mosaic effect generated by an end-use matrix

TOPICS: The results of an integrated analysis of the metabolic pattern of energy in EU countries (outcome

of the EU project EUFORIE) are used to illustrate an important feature of MuSIASEM: the possibility of

establishing relations over the quantitative (defined by extensive variables) and qualitative characteristics

(defined by intensive variables) of sectors, subsector and sub-subsectors of the economy. This analysis

flags the existence of a serious problem: using existing statistics we do not know where energy carriers

are used to do what in the economy. This issue must be addressed if we want to have meaningful talk of

de-carbonization of the economy.


15:00–17.30 Work in groups

DAY 3 - WEDNESDAY 12 JULY 2016


Conceptual building blocks of MuSIASEM: Sudoku effect generated by impredicative loop analysis

TOPICS: The metabolic pattern of modern societies is based on a dynamic equilibrium between the surplus

of flow-inputs made available by the catabolic part (primary sectors) and the requirement of flow-inputs

by the anabolic part (the secondary and tertiary sectors plus the household sector) - in the jargon of

MuSIASEM the surplus is determined by “strength of the energy hypercycle” and the requirement is

determined by “bio-economic pressure”. When applying this impredicative relation on the constraints

imposed by the characteristics of the end use matrix we can use the resulting “sudoku effect” for

diagnostic analysis and for discussing of scenarios. These concepts are illustrated with practical examples.

10.00-11.00 Session 5B (Tarik Serrano, ICTA-UAB)

Land Use Analysis: How to organize quantitative information in GIS

TOPICS: (i) The importance of GIS and remote sensing in sustainability science; (ii) Scaling metabolic

pattern of land uses; (iii) Participatory mapping; (iv) Spatial analysis of the metabolic pattern of socio-

ecological systems.


11.30-12.30 Session 6A (Zora Kovacic, ICTA-UAB)

Examples of MuSIASEM in action – generating useful information for tackling specific problems

TOPICS: Examples of integrated assessment in chanty towns in South Africa and Brazil


The worrisome implications of existing trends: the future of agriculture

TOPICS: There is a clear problem of sustainability both in developed and developing countries. This problem

is especially evident in relation to the future of agriculture: (i) This is due to the change of final cause of

agriculture: from “a driver of rural development” to “a societal organ needed to feed the cities” to arrive to

the last entry in EU countries “manufacturing based on imports of food commodities to reduce the cost of

feeding the cities”; (ii) The lock-in of technical progress in the paradigm of industrial agriculture entails

marching on an unsustainable path;


15:00–16.00 Discussion of questions from the previous day of working groups

16.00-17.30 Work in groups

20:30 Social Dinner

Pizzeria Palazzo Petrucci, Piazza San Domenico Maggiore, 5-7, Napoli

http://www.palazzopetruccipizzeria.it/

DAY 4 - THURSDAY 13 JULY 2016

09.00–10.00 Session 7A (Roberta Siciliano and Michele Staiano, Universitá di Napoli Federico II)

How to use statistics in MuSIASEM

TOPICS: How to collect, curate and statistically analyze data complying to a Total Quality approach. The

journey from data to knowledge: a couple of case studies related to MuSIASEM. Some notes about the

mathematical formalization of MuSIASEM entities and their representation in the Computer Science

realm.

10.00-11.00 Session 7B (Ansel Renner, ICTA-UAB)

Examples of MuSIASEM in action – An integrated assessment of animal production in Scotland

TOPICS: A study carried out by Juan Cadillo Benalcazar in collaboration with the Hutton Institute will be

presented to illustrate how MuSIASEM can be used to organize quantitative information in a decision

support tool.


11.30–12.30: Session 8A (Mario Giampietro, ICTA-UAB)

The worrisome implications of existing trends: the future of the energy supply

TOPICS: There is a clear problem of sustainability both in developed and developing countries. This

problem is especially evident in relation to the future of the energy supply: (i) In spite of all the bombastic

claims about a take-over of alternative energy sources at the moment the metabolic pattern of energy of

modern societies is still based on fossil energy; (ii) The problem of liquid fuels is particularly serious, no

alternatives are in view; (iii) Intermittent electricity sources (PV and wind) have not been “tamed” yet. To

make the situation more worrisome, there is a total lack of understanding of the sustainability challenges

we are facing. As a consequence at the moment, both discussions about policies and policy making itself

are based on wishful thinking.

12.30–13.30 Session 8B (Zora Kovacic, Mario Giampietro, ICTA-UAB)

Time for something new in science for governance: Quantitative Story-Telling

TOPICS: (i) When dealing with quantitative analysis of complex self-reproducing and self-maintaining

systems the usefulness of models depends on the usefulness of the pre-analytical choice of a narrative [*

a narrative is the result of a series of scaling operations associated with the perception of a given event

used for individuating: (a) relevant agents, (b) a given scale, and (c) a direction of causality providing an

explanation for the event]; (ii) In turn the usefulness of a narrative depends on the purpose of the story-

teller. Therefore, the use of scientific models to generate evidence for guiding action is never neutral; (iii)

How to guarantee a systemic quality check on the process of production and use of quantitative

information for governance? This goal requires moving away from the technocratic approach of “evidence

based policy” to participatory processes based on quantitative story-telling. In this way, on can control

the quality of: (a) the pre-analytical choice of story-telling/narratives; (b) the analytical choice of models

and data within the chosen narratives; (c) the fairness of the process of deliberation based on the

information gathered after acknowledging the unavoidable presence of uncertainty and power

asymmetries.


15:00–16.00 Discussion of questions from the previous day from the working groups

16.00-17.30 Work in groups

DAY 5 - FRIDAY 14 JULY 2016

9.00–11.00 Presentation of the results of working groups and discussion



12.30-13.30 Feed-back from participants, joint evaluation of the summer school

Lessons learned, what to do next . . .

13:30-15:00 Lunch & farewell

Can Cities Be Sustainable?

Novel Tools to Explore Urban Metabolism

LIPHE4 Summer School

2018 Edition

PROGRAM

2-6 July 2018

University of Geneva (Uni Carl Vogt), Switzerland

Co-organized by:

LIPHE4

ENVIROSPACE Lab—University of Geneva

Institute of Environmental Science and Technology—Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

http://liphe4.org/en/summer-school?id=111

This summer school builds on results from MAGIC and EUFORIE, projects funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements No. 689669 and No 649342, respectively. The summer school reflects only the

organisers' view; the funding agency is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information presented.

WELCOME

The LIPHE4 Summer School is a reference point for young researchers and students who are eager to learn

about novel approaches in the field of application of complexity to Sustainability Studies. The Summer

School offers a critical picture, both theoretical and practical, of recently developed analytical approaches

towards sustainable development. It shows how to integrate quantitative methodologies that analyze and

characterize complex social-ecological systems and their evolution with qualitative methodologies that

help structure the decision process in a social context. With these purposes in mind, both lectures and

hands-on case studies form an integral part of the program.

LIPHE4 has run nine regular (open) editions of the summer school since 2004, and three special editions

on specific request of hosting institutions.

The 2018 edition of the LIPHE4 Summer School focuses on urban metabolism and the urban nexus. It

builds on novel tools developed in MAGIC and EUFORIE, projects funded by the European Union's Horizon

2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreements No. 689669 and No. 649342,

respectively.

Throughout the program cross reference is made to selected modules and/or videos of our (free) MOOC

‘Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems: the Nexus between Water, Energy and Food’

(https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-social-ecological-systems). It is recommended, but not

essential, to consult these sections of the MOOC, preferably before the course as they provide either

background or related relevant information.

The LIPHE4 resource team is composed of post-doctoral researchers, professors, and PhD students from

the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

(Spain). This year we count with Mario Giampietro, Juan Cadillo Benalcazar, Laura Pérez Sánchez, Ansel

Renner, Maddalena Ripa, and Raúl Velasco Fernández.

The 2018 edition is co-organized by our colleague Anthony Lehmann and his students from the

ENVIROSPACE Lab of the University of Geneva, and we are honored to be able to count with their expertise

and to offer the course on the premises of the University of Geneva.

Mario Giampietro

President, LIPHE4

ICREA Research Professor, ICTA, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona


DAY 1 - MONDAY 02 JULY 2018 (Monday morning lectures open to public)

09:30–10:00 Welcome Coffee

10:00–10:15 Opening address

Anthony Lehmann, University of Geneva

Check also the MOOC welcoming video

10:15–11:15 Questioning the narratives used to frame sustainability policies

Mario Giampietro, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

PUBLIC LECTURE: Do our governments understand the systems they wish to regulate? (i) Is the import

of oil an intolerable fact for our economies? (ii) Will a massive replacement of the existing energy

sector with an alternative one reduce CO2 emissions in the short term? (iii) How circular is our

economy? (iv) Can ‘bioeconomy’ be a solution to obtain perpetual growth? (v) Intermittent sources

of electricity, what if ‘batteries are not included’ in the renewable energy package?

MOOC REFERENCE: Module 1—Introducing the basic concepts, Videos 7-9.

11:15–11:30 Short break

11.30-12.30 MuSIASEM: A novel tool to inform policies based on the water-energy-food nexus

Mario Giampietro, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

PUBLIC LECTURE: The metabolic pattern of socio-ecological systems; Relational analysis – water

energy food ecosystem nexus; key aspects of sustainability: (i) feasibility – compatibility with processes

outside human control; (ii) viability – compatibility with processes under human control; (iii)

desirability – compatibility with normative values and institutions.

MOOC REFERENCE: Module 1—Introducing the basic concepts, Videos 2-5.

12:30–13:00 Public discussion

13:00-14:00 Lunch break (summer school participants only)

14.00–14.30 Presentation of summer school participants and resource persons

14.30–15:00 Organization of the summer school

15:00–17:00 Showcasing applications of MuSIASEM exploring the Nexus between water, food, energy,

land use and population

UAB Team

Case study 1 – An integrated analysis of the metabolic pattern of Mauritius Islands

MOOC REFERENCE: Module 5—The challenge of water accounting, Video 4.

Case study 2 – Building and operating a decision support system to deal with the problem of waste

management in Naples, Italy

https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-social-ecological-systems/lecture/WLFla/welcome-to-our-course-on-sustainability

https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-social-ecological-systems/lecture/Q3TQZ/food-accounting

DAY 2 - TUESDAY 03 JULY 2018

09:00–10:15 Learning how to use grammars for a quantitative analysis of food metabolism

UAB Team

LECTURE: Identifying the accounting categories needed to establish a relation between (i) the

requirement of secondary inputs in end-uses; and (ii) the environmental pressure associated with a

given pattern of consumption of food products.

EXERCISE IN CLASS: Evaluate the implications of changes in food consumption patterns with respect

to: (i) different requirements of end-uses in the production, processing and distribution phases; and

(ii) the resulting environmental pressures.

MOOC REFERENCE: Module 3 —The challenge of food accounting

10:15–11:30 Learning how to use grammars for a quantitative analysis of energy metabolism

UAB Team

LECTURE: Identifying the required accounting categories to establish a relation between: (i) the

requirement of secondary energy inputs in end-uses; and (ii) the environmental pressure associated

with a given pattern of consumption of energy carriers.

EXERCISE IN CLASS: Evaluate the implications of different patterns of energy carrier consumption with

respect to: (i) different requirements of end-uses in the extraction, production, and distribution

phases; and (ii) the resulting environmental pressures.

MOOC REFERENCE: Module 4—The challenge of energy accounting

11.30–12.00 Coffee break

12:00–13:00 Using grammars to analyze of the profile of allocation of human activity in society

UAB Team

LECTURE: The internal constraints imposed by the profile of time use on the organization of societal

activities inside the End-use Matrix (affecting the viability of the metabolic pattern); Implications of

demographic variables; Implications of the definition of desirability (services); Grammars for human

time allocation.

EXERCISE IN CLASS: Explore the impredicative relation over the sizes of the functional sectors of a

society competing for the same endowment of human activity: (i) the postal service in a society; (ii)

the food production on a remote island; (iii) the bio-economic pressure in modern societies.

MOOC REFERENCE: Module 6—The metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems across multiple

scales and dimensions; Videos 1-3, 7-8

13:00–14:00 Lunch break

14:00–15:15 The End-use Matrix in MuSIASEM

UAB Team

LECTURE: Using the results of an integrated analysis of the metabolic pattern of energy in EU countries

(outcome of EU project EUFORIE) we illustrate an important feature of MuSIASEM: the possibility of

establishing relations over the quantitative (defined by extensive variables) and qualitative

characteristics (defined by intensive variables) of sectors, subsectors and sub-subsectors of the

https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-social-ecological-systems/lecture/Q3TQZ/food-accounting

https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-social-ecological-systems/lecture/8jMdq/problems-with-quantitative-accounting

https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-social-ecological-systems/lecture/7Q8M6/time-use-and-demographic-structure

economy across different levels of organization. This analysis points to a problem in the way data are

organized in common statistics. In fact, the categories of accounting in available statistics tend to

aggregate too much and as a consequence make it hard, if not impossible, to track “who is using what

type of flows, why, how, and how much”. This issue must be addressed if we want to have an informed

discussion about a quick transition of the economy toward sustainability.

EXERCISE IN CLASS: Applications of the End-use Matrix to different levels of organization: city, country,

economic sector and sub-sector, EU level.

15.15–15.30 Short break

15:30–16:45 Environmental Pressure Matrix in MuSIASEM

UAB Team

LECTURE: The difference between the Environmental Pressure Matrix and the Environmental Impact

Matrix. The Environmental Pressure Matrix tracks the primary sources and the primary sinks

associated with the secondary flows metabolized in the End-use Matrix. The Environmental Impact

Matrix contextualizes the pressure against the characteristics of the ecological funds providing supply

and sink capacity. For this reason the Environmental Impact Matrix has to be defined for each specific

case in spatial terms (using GIS) and across different scales (from the soil, to watershed, to the whole

atmosphere).

EXERCISE IN CLASS: Examples of calculation of Environmental Pressure Matrix from a given End-use

Matrix. Identification of the information required to assess the environmental impact starting from

the information in an Environmental Pressure Matrix.

MOOC REFERENCE: Module 6, Video 9—Studying feasibility using the concepts of DPSIR and

Environmental Impact Matrix

16.45–17.00 Short break

17:00–18:00 Externalization in MuSIASEM

UAB Team

LECTURE: The energy sector, the food sector and the manufacturing sector of modern societies are

heavily dependent on imports. The level of openness of an economy can be assessed by calculating:

(i) an Externalization End-use Matrix; and (ii) an Externalization Environmental Pressure Matrix. These

externalization matrices can then be compared with the Local End-use Matrix and the Local

Environmental Pressure Matrix to assess how much a given social-ecological system is transferring its

own problems of viability and feasibility to other social-ecological systems.

EXERCISE IN CLASS: Calculation of Externalization End-use Matrices and Externalization Pressure

Matrices for EU countries and assessment of the level of openness; Discussion of the implications of

externalization in relation to “security” and “self-sufficiency“.

REFERENCE: MAGIC deliverable 4.2, chapters 2-3.

http://magic-nexus.eu/sites/default/files/files_documents_repository/magic_689669_d4.2.compressed.pdf

DAY 3 - WEDNESDAY 4 JULY 2018

REFERENCE: deliverable D4.3 of EUFORIE

09.00–11:00 The urban metabolism—Barcelona case: framing UAB Team

LECTURE: In this first part on the Barcelona case study we frame the quantitative analysis of urban

metabolism in the context of the Sustainable Energy Action Plans from the Covenant of Mayors. This

session resumes the diverse concepts explained in the previous days, but tailors them to the unique

characteristics of cities. Indeed, cities are the ultimate example of open systems as they rely on large

flows of resources imported from outside the system boundaries for carrying out highly specialized

functions. We show how to integrate data related to diverse factors, such as energy, food, water, time

and space use, demographic aspects, inequalities among urban districts, and waste generation.

Q&A AND GROUP DISCUSSION


11:30–13:00 The urban metabolism—Barcelona case: results

UAB Team

LECTURE: In this second part, we discuss the results of the case study of Barcelona (from the project

EUFORIE) and explore the conceptual and practical aspects of the analysis of urban metabolism

within the MuSIASEM framework.

Q&A AND GROUP DISCUSSION


14:00–15:30 Exploring specific research questions for the Barcelona case

UAB Team

EXERCISE IN CLASS: Practical examples of calculations typical of the analysis of urban metabolism,

building the End-use Matrix at city level:

1. Matching Energy Carriers with End-Uses at different city levels: the complex relation between

Primary Energy Sources and End-Uses.

2. Handling the openness of the city for human activity: residents, commuters and tourists.

DISCUSSION

15:30–15:45 Short break

15:45–17:00 Exploring specific research questions for the Barcelona case

UAB Team

EXERCISE IN CLASS: Continuation of the work on examples.

3. Integrating energy, food and water at city level

DISCUSSION

20:30 Social Dinner

Pizzeria nextdoor or Fondue in the Bain des Paquis (t.b.d.)

http://www.utu.fi/en/units/euforie/Research/deliverables/Documents/EUFORIE_D4.3.pdf

DAY 4 - THURSDAY 5 JULY 2018

09.00–11:00 Presentation of Geneva case

University of Geneva team

LECTURE: The City and surrounding canton of Geneva are experiencing relatively rapid growth of its

population which doubled since 1970 to reach 498’000 persons and a density 12’670 persons/km2 in

2017. While the city economy is essentially based on the tertiary sector of activity, the surrounding

countryside is still welcoming 40% of agriculture and numerous industries. The particular position of

the Geneva canton, surrounded by France almost entirely, is adding pressure and complexity

compared to the normal growth of a city. Understanding the metabolism of this complex multi-scale

socio-ecological system is important to better inform the sustainability policy of this urbanized area.

In this case study we will develop an adequate grammar to describe the Food-Water-Energy Nexus of

the canton. We will then explore early effort to quantify the metabolism with the available data.

DISCUSSION


11.30–13:00 Work in groups on selected case studies (participants may bring their own case)

Hands-on work and conceptual discussions in order to put into practice the concepts learnt in the

previous sessions.

MOOC REFERENCE: Module 7—Applications of MuSIASEM 2.0


14.00–17.30 Work in groups on selected case studies (participants may bring their own case)

Hands-on work and conceptual discussions in order to put into practice the concepts learnt in the

previous sessions.

MOOC REFERENCE: Module 7—Applications of MuSIASEM 2.0

DAY 5 - FRIDAY 06 JULY 2018



11.30–13:00 Spatial analysis in MuSIASEM, a roadmap for future research

Anthony Lehmann, University of Geneva

MOOC REFERENCE: Module 6—The metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems across multiple

scales and dimensions, Video 6

13.00-13.30 Evaluation of the summer school

13:30-15:00 Lunch & farewell

https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-social-ecological-systems/lecture/PwDzG/basic-concepts-of-relational-analysis

https://www.coursera.org/learn/sustainability-social-ecological-systems/lecture/PwDzG/basic-concepts-of-relational-analysis