MISO

Material Inputs, Stocks and Outputs (MISO). A model of material stocks and flows in the global metabolic transition

Global resource use is growing at high rates and is moving society beyond planetary boundaries within which it may safely operate. Understanding global patterns and trajectories of socio-economic metabolism is of key importance to develop effective policies to reduce society’s resource demand and for the transition towards a more sustainable industrial metabolism. This project, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), develops a dynamic model of material inputs, stocks and outputs (MISO). We investigate the historical evolution of material stocks and flows in the last century and analyse how changes in inflows, in the lifetimes of stocks and in recycling rates interact and how they determine future demand for virgin materials and waste production. This information is used to develop scenarios for future resource use and to inform strategies of more sustainable resource use.