• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.73-83
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• 2004

• KIEAE Journal
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.5-13
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• 2014

This paper introduces emergy(spelled with "m") that is a new environmental indicator in architecture, aiming to clarify conflicting claims of building design components in the process of energy-retrofit. Much of design practitioners' attention on low energy use in operational phases, may simply shift the lowered environmental impact within the building boundary to large consumption of energy in another area. Specifically, building energy reduction strategies without a holistic view starting from natural formation, may lead to the depletion of non-renewable geobiological sources (e.g. minerals, fossil fuels, etc.), which leaves a building with an isolated energy-efficient object. Therefore, to overcome the narrow outlook, this research discusses the total ecological impact of a building which embraces all process energy as well as environmental cost represented by emergy. A case study has been conducted to explore emergy-driven design work. In comparison with operational energy-driven scenarios, the results elucidate how energy and emergy-oriented decision-making bring about different design results, and quantify building components' emergy contribution in the end. An average-size ($101.9m^2$) single family house located in South Korea was sampled as a benchmark case, and the analysis of energy and material use was conducted for establishment of the baseline. Adoption of the small building is effective for the goal of study since this research intends to measure environmental impact according to variation of passive design elements (windows size, building orientation, wall materials) with new metric (emergy) regardless of mechanical systems. Performance simulations of operational energy were developed and analyzed separately from the calculation of emergy magnitudes in building construction, and then the total emergy demand of each proposed design was evaluated. Emergy synthesis results verify that the least operational energy scenario requires greater investment in indirect energy in construction, which clearly reveals that efficiency gains are likely to be overwhelmed by increment of material flows. This result places importance on consideration of indirect energy use underscoring necessity of emergy evaluation towards the environment-friendly building in broader sense.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.87-92
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• 2002

The emergy (spelled with an 'm') concept was introduced to provide a new insight into ecosystem restoration efforts in Korea. The emergy is defined as the available energy of one kind previously required directly and indirectly to make a product or service. It is an effort to evaluate the true contributions of natural resources to our economy. It tries to include both contributions from natures free works and human services to develop and process natural resources. The emergy evaluation can be used to select a restoration alternative that yields more to the economy with less stress to the environment, by comparing different alternatives with indices expressed in emergy. It can also be used to assess the success of ecosystem restoration projects. Pulsing dynamics in which a slow build-up of production is followed by a frenzied consumption in relatively short time period seems to be a general feature of all systems. Any ecosystem restoration effort, therefore, should consider the whole pulsing cycle for a successful implementation.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.841-856
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• 2008

This research outlines a new method for evaluation of shellfish production in Gamak Bay based on the concept of EMERGY. Better understanding of those environmental factors influencing oyster production and the management of oyster stocks requires the ability to assess the real value of environmental sources such as solar energy, river, tide, wave, wind, and other physical mechanisms. In this research, EMERGY flows from environment sources were 76% for shellfish aquaculture in Gamak Bay. EMERGY yield ratio, Environmental Loading Ratio, and Sustainability Index were 4.26, 0.31 and 13.89, respectively. Using the Emergy evaluation data, the predicted maximum shellfish aquaculture production in Gamak Bay and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration, U.S.) designated area in Gamak Bay were 10,845 ton/y and 7,548 ton/yr, respectively. Since the predicted shellfish production was approximately 1.3 times more than produced shellfish production in 2005, the carrying capacity of Gamak Bay is estimated to be 1.3 times more than the present oyster production.

• Journal of Korean Society of Rural Planning
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.35-43
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• 2014

The purpose of this study is to analyze emergy flows of rice for evaluating the value of rice production and sustainability. Emergy analysis evaluates the sustainability of systems or processes considering all the inputs to make a product or a sevice. In this study, we analyzed the emergy flows and indices of rice productionand compared the regional emergy values using statisticcal analysis: input materials, hours per unit area(10a), and production costs. As the results, we found that the rates of external investment (EIR= 18.87) and environmental loading (ELR=21.7) are significantly high during the rice cultivation. However, emergy yield ratio(EYR) shows that rice is a valuable resource because EYR is 5.12 and environmental Sustainability IndexSI value is as low as 0.24 and it shows rice has low sustainability. This study also shows that Chungcheongnam-do has the highest SI value for rice production due to low environmental loading and abundant natural energy during rice cultivation. These results of rice emergy flows and sustainability assessments could provide a way of sustainable rice cultivation with decrease of environmental loading from fertilizer.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.141-154
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• 2016

This study was conducted laying the focus on finding the mutual action between the substantial ecological value and economic system in the national land, and calculating the environmental carrying capacity and sustainability of the national land using the emergy synthesis. Particularly, this study pays attention watchfully to the reality that the analytic framework to analyze sustainability is not arranged well, as the concept of sustainable development considering environmental carrying capacity, which becomes a widely discussed topic today, is defined differently according to the subjective views of respective researchers, and the situation which needs in-depth evaluation on the interaction between nature and economy which becomes the fundamental of sustainable development. This study also aims at groping for correct direction for the national land development by calculating the environmental carrying capacity and index value which is appropriate to the national land and providing the framework for preparing the policy to induce the sustainable use and management of the national land. The concept of emergy synthesis which is used for the evaluation of environmental carrying capacity and sustainability in the national land, as in this case, can notify the information on current situation of the national land as well as explain how the national land transforms according to time pass (the role of information synthesis), and gives knowledge if the national land policies advances toward the direction of sustainable development (the role of policy evaluation and observation). Emergy synthesis also can take role for selecting best policy on the process of decision making on the exploitation of the national land (the role on the process of decision making).

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.85-90
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• 2001

The conflicts between environment protection and economic development are becoming increasingly important in environmental decision making of Nakdong River Basin. A science-based evaluation system is now needed to represent both the environmental values and the economic values with a common measure. EMERGY, spelled with an \"m\" evaluates both the work of river and that of human in generating products and services. The monetary cost-benefit analysis and the environmental accounting by EMERGY analysis were applied to determine whether there will have a net benefit in environmental decision making of Nakdong River Basin. Based on the results of the environmental accounting, all alternatives which related to environmental decision making of Nakdong River Basin show that more and more of EMERGY cost becomes needed than the a EMERGY benefit from getting water to drink in the lower basin. From these results, for selecting alternatives to manage water quantity and quality that is sustainable in the environmental use and economic development, environmental accounting concepts must be considered, and the economic structure of Nakdong River Basin should be changed from the present industrial structure to social-economic based on ecological-recycling concept for the sustainable use of Nakdong River.ong River.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.134-143
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• 2016

This study analyzed the characteristics of emergy inputs from environmental sources that are essential in maintaining ecological processes and providing ecosystems services of the tidal flat ecosystems in Korea. Environmental sources provided a total of $4.98{\times}10^{21}sej/yr$ of emergy to the tidal flats of Korea. The emergy inputs from environmental sources were worth 1,141 billion ￦/yr. This is the value of environmental conditions that are the basis of ecosystem services provided by the tidal flat ecosystems. The emergy input per hectare to regional tidal flats decreased along the coastline from northwest to southeast, with the highest input in the Incheon-Gyeonggi area in the central western part of the Korean coast and the lowest input in the Busan area in the southeastern end. This reflects the general distribution pattern of the magnitude of tidal ranges along the Korean coast. There was no a clear-cut relationship between emergy inputs per unit area and fishery production(expressed in emergy quantity) per unit area. However, tidal flats in the west coast with higher emery inputs per unit area produced more fishery products than those in the south coast with lower emergy inputs, suggesting a possibility that the emergy inputs could be used for the rapid evaluation and comparison of the potential for ecosystem service provision by individual tidal flats.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.857-869
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• 2008

The objective of this research is to apply more scientific, quantitative methods and procedures of environmental investigation to the development of the natural environment and the improvement of the human environment during the establishment of a sewage treatment plant and special facilities using environmental accounting. This research was performed to develop a method of strategic environmental assessment on the operation of sewage treatment plant and reuse of shellfish seeding areas through the use of environmental accounting based on EMERGY evaluation. The result was applied to marine environment policy in order to evaluate the real wealth of the regional environment and economy for both the present phase and the proposed developed phase. Using results from the comparison of EMERGY indices between the present situation and future scenarios, cost benefit analysis was performed for three different scenarios: (I) construction of a new sewage treatment plant, (2) relocation and recovery of the shellfish seeding area, and (3) relocation and re-seeding of shellfish area and construction of a new sewage treatment plant. Cost-benefit ratios of the three scenarios are 1.88, 0.94, and 1.38, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.218-224
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• 2001

Olive flounder is one of the most important aquaculture species in Korea. Interest in the aquaculture of olive flounder has increased recently because of its good growth characteristics and high market price, However, the productivity of olive flounder aquaculture depends on economic inputs such as fuels, facilities, and labor, In this study, EMERGY concepts was used to compare the environment and economy of two olive flounder production methods, fishing fisheries and aquaculture, and to evaluate the sustainability of olive flounder production, EMERGY spelled with an 'm' is a universal measure of real wealth of the work of nature and society made on a common basis. Calculations of EMERGY production and storage provide a basis for making choices about environment and economy following. the general public policy to maximize real wealth, production and use. EMERGY flows from environment were $94.13\%$ for olive flounder fishing fisheries, and $2.20\%$ for aquaculture. EMERGY yield ratio, environmental loading ratio and sustainability index were 17.05, 1.02 and 274 for fishing fisheries and 0.06, 44.41 and 0.023 for aquaculture, respectively. These ratios indicate that the fishing fisheries will yield more net EMERGY, while the aquaculture requires a lower investment of EMERGY.