• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.482-496
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• 2023

Many changes in the scale and structure of the Korean rice cropping system have been made over the past few decades. Still, insufficient research has been conducted on the sustainability of this system. This study analyzed changes in the Korean rice cropping system's sustainability from a system ecology perspective using an emergy approach. For this purpose, an emergy table was created for the Korean rice cropping system in 2011, 2016, and 202, and an emergy-based indicator analysis was performed. The emergy analysis showed that the total emergy input to the rice cropping system decreased from 10,744E+18 sej year^-1 to 8,342E+18 sej year^-1 due to decreases in paddy field areas from 2011 to 2021, and the proportion of renewable resources decreased by 1.4%. The emergy input per area (ha) was found to have decreased from 13.13E+15 sej ha^-1 year^-1 in 2011 to 11.89E+15 sej ha^-1 year^-1 in 2021, and the leading cause was a decrease in nitrogen fertilizer usage and working hours. The amount of emergy used to grow 1 g of rice stayed the same between 2016 and 2021 (specific emergy: 13.3E+09 sej g^-1), but the sustainability of the rice cropping system (emergy sustainability index, ESI) continued to decrease (2011: 0.107, 2016: 0.088, and 2021: 0.086). This study provides quantitative information on the emergy input structure and characteristics of Korean rice cropping systems. The results of this study can be used as a valuable reference in establishing measures to improve the ecological sustainability of the Korean rice cropping system.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.349-357
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• 2004

Emergy is a measure of the processes required to produce something expressed in units of the same energy form. Emergy based indices can provide insights into the thermodynamic efficiency of the process, the quality of its output, and the interaction between the process and its surrounding environment. However, in an industrial system, the inputs are mostly nonrenewable, renewable energy source is nearly zero, ultimate purpose is pursuit of profits in economic activity. In study, we present two indices based on emergy - EEE(Ecological Economic Efficiency) and ERI(Environmental Responsibility Index). The EEE is taken into account real value of product in market economy. The ERI is shown to be a function of the net yield of the economy, its ‘load’ on the environment and ecological economic efficiency. Manufacturing industry of Korea produced the 30% of total GDP in 2001. We applied these indices to manufacturing industry for environmental management and further sustainable industry. As a results, the highest ERI is 0.34 in recycling industries, the lowest ERI is 0.01 in coke, refined petroleum products which is dominated by ELR. The higher ERI, the more friendly to environment. The suggested indices help us understand relative contributions of various alternatives in company's production and consumption activity, and provide a tool of decision-making for the rearrangement of future industries. Furthermore, they contribute to environmental friendly operation and consumption.

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

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.507-514
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• 2013

The Nakdong River being used as drinking water sources for the Busan metropolitan city has the vulnerability of water management due to the fact that industrial areas are located in the upper Nakdong River. This study used emergy analysis method to evaluate ecological-economics of water treatment systems of D water treatment plant (WTP) where located in the downstream of the Nakdong River. The emergy methodology is a system evaluation tool that uses energy as the common currency to compare different resources on a common basis. Emergy yield ratio (EYR) and emergy sustainability index (EmSI) of D WTP were 1.16 and 0.18, respectively. It means not resources and sustainable system but consumer goods and not sustainable system. Ratio of emergy benefit to the purchaser (EBP) shows 2.7 times higher than economic costs. To change the weak water source and situations we need to diversity water intake.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.169-179
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• 2005

With the industrialization in Korea, the economy has invested more resources on industry and less on agricultural production. However, agriculture is still an important industry, since the whole nation depends on rice for their living. And the proportion of agricultural land is relatively large, which leads issuing environmental aspects of agriculture in this country. This study was conducted to evaluate the environmental and economical aspects of agriculture in Korea, using system ecological concept, Emergy. The total Emergy inflow of Korean agriculture was $336.57{\times}10^{20}\;sej{\cdot}yr^{-1}$ in 2003. Emergy yield ratio, the ratio of non-renewable and imported Energy use to renewable Emergy use, was 5.21, which shows the agriculture in Korea has such a value as that of the world oil resources in 1986. Also, total agricultural product was $13.55{\times}10^{16}\;J{\cdot}yr^{-1}$ in 2003 and the Energy inflow was $121.09{\times}10^{20}\;sej{\cdot}yr^{-1}$. From these data, solar transformity of Korean agriculture was estimated as $8.68{\times}10^4\;sej{\cdot}J^{-1}$.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.689-700
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• 1996

Fisheries products have to be produced and maintained by work processes from the environment, sometimes helped by people. In Korean fisheries both environmental production and its economic use are included within the windows of system approach. EMERGY is the sum of all inputs expressed as one form of solar energy required directly and indirectly to make a product. Calculating EMERGY flows into Korean fisheries evaluates the real wealth contributed by environmental production and its economic use. Several indices calculated from EMERGY analysis table and a three-arm diagram give perspective on the type and efficiency of the environmental uses. Net EMERGY yield ratio is a measure of its net contribution to the economy beyond its own operation. For adjacent waters fisheries in Korea, the net contribution to the economy is 11.85 or higher, which is a stimulus to the economy that is able to purchase it. EMERGY investment ratio measures the intensity of the economic development and the loading of the environment. The ratio for Korean fisheries as a whole is 0.50, for the adjacent waters fisheries 0.09 and for the shallow-sea cultures 1.28, which is lower than the same index for the industry of the developed country (7.0). The component of environment drawn into production are large compared to purchased investment in Korean fisheries. Much more EMERGY is contained in fisheries products than in the paid services used to process the products. The EMERGY exchange ratio for Korean fisheries as a whole is 6.98, for the adjacent waters fisheries is 10.69 and for the shallow-sea cultures is 1.25. Using market values to evaluate wealth of environment resources is found to be many times too small. Money is paid only to people for their contribution, and never to the environment for its contribution. Macroeconomic value is the appropriate measure for discussing large-scale considerations of an economy, including environment and human goods & services.

• 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.

• 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.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.1139-1144
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• 2015

The gross domestic product(GDP) measures the welfare of a nation's economy through the aggregation of products and services produced in a nation. Although GDP is a proficient measure of the magnitude of the economy, many economists, environmentalists, and citizens have recently criticized the gross domestic product. The criticism stems from the fact that this measurement of domestic product does not account for environmental degradation and resource depletion. We need to estimate the environmentally adjusted net domestic product. The gross domestic product was 913 trillion won while environmental protection expenditure was 32.9 trillion won by monetary accounts of Korea, 2010. Loss of natural assets was 76.6 trillion emwon by emergy analysis of Korea, 2010. The Green GDP was accounted for 88.0% of the GDP to 803.5 trillion won.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.591-597
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• 2013

The input emergy of an advanced treatment plant for reducing the 1 kg of TN and TP was estimated 4.14E+14 sej/kg, 5.02E+15 sej/kg, respectively. In addition, the input emergy of constructed wetland for reduction of the 1 kg of TN and TP reduction was estimated to be 2.48E+14 sej/kg, 3.38E+15 sej/kg, respectively. The cost reducing 1 kg of TN and TP for an advanced treatment plant was estimated 197,466 won and 2,388,739 won respectively and constructed wetland was estimated 117,976 won and 1,609,213 won respectively. As a result, All of the emergy source of constructed wetland for reducing non-point source is renewable resource. If we use the constructed wetland, it results in enhancing economic value by reducing of non-point pollution, controlling a flood and providing the habitat of animals or plants. Improving water quality program in the Nakdong River Basin should be changed into an ecological treatment facilities from expansion of the sewage treatment facilities and advanced treatment plant using high cost and non-renewable energies.