Simposio sulla sostenibilità globale - Symposium on Global Sustainability

(for English text see below)

Martedì 19 settembre p.v., alle ore 9.15 presso l’Accademia d’Ungheria in Roma si terrà il Simposio sulla sostenibilità globale (Symposium on Global Sustainability), organizzato dall’Università Cattolica Péter Pázmány e dal suo gruppo di lavoro CPSES (Centro per l'Ingegneria dei Sistemi di Processo e la Sostenibilità).

 

Nel corso del Simposio - che si svolgerà in lingua inglese - verrà illustrato il progetto avviato dall’Agenzia per la protezione dell'ambiente degli Stati Uniti (US EPA) nel 2005 e continuato tra il 2010 ed il 2015 sotto la supervisione congiunta del Dr. Urmila Diwekar, Istituto di Ricerca Vishwamitra di Chicago e del professor Heriberto Cabezas (Centro per l'Ingegneria dei Sistemi di Processo e la Sostenibilità (CPSES) dell’Università Cattolica Péter Pázmány.

Si tratta di una rappresentazione matematica delle principali dinamiche del Mondo, ispirata al modello "Limits to Growth” di Meadows, D. H., Meadows, D. L., Randers, J., & Behrens, W. W. (1972 ). Il modello matematico comprende l’ecosistema, la popolazione umana, l'industria, la generazione di energia, la macroeconomia e i rudimenti di un sistema giuridico con proprietà privata, fiscalità e regolamentazione.

Data: 19 settembre p.v. ore 9.15 - 17.30

Luogo: Accademia d’Ungheria in Roma

(Palazzo Falconieri – Via Giulia, 1)

Relatori:

Fr. Anzelm Szuromi, Rettore dell’Università Cattolica Péter Pázmány

S.Em.a R.ma Card. Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, Dicastero per il Servizio Integrale per lo Sviluppo

Umano

Urmila Diwekar, Presidente e fondatore del Vishwamitra Research Institute

Heriberto Cabezas, Professore presso l’Università Cattolica Péter Pázmány

Diogo Bolster, Professore dell’Università di Notre Dame

Alex Mayer, Professore della Michigan Technological University

Ferenc Friedler, Professore presso l’Università Cattolica Péter Pázmány

* * *

Symposium on Global Sustainability

Pazmany Peter Catholic University

Center for Process Systems Engineering and Sustainability

September 19^th, 2017

Hungarian Academy Rome

Via Giulia 1, 00186 Rome, Italy

 

A mathematical representation of the major dynamics of the World, inspired by the “Limits to Growth” model, has been under construction. The mathematical model includes an ecosystem, human population, industry, energy generation, macro-economy, and rudiments of a legal system with private property, taxation, and regulation. Details of the model can be found in the scientific literature. The project was initiated at the US EPA in 2005, from 2010 to 2015 it proceeded under the joint supervision of Dr. Urmila Diwekar from the Vishwamitra Research Institute in Chicago, Illinois, USA and Professor Heriberto Cabezas from the Center for Process Systems Engineering and Sustainability (CPSES) at the Pazmany Peter Catholic University (PPCU). The project is now housed at the CPSES at PPCU. Several publications have resulted effort, two are cited here.

 

The mathematical model is sufficiently developed to provide general policy guidance including that: (1) we have approximately 100 years to implement sustainability in a manner that avoids major catastrophes in human societies and the environment, (2) it is necessary to manage at least six parameters that represent policies and technologies to keep societies stable for about two hundred years, and (3) sustainability policy must be updated regularly, about every ten years to adjust to changing conditions.

 

CPSES-PPCU Workgroup:

 

To further develop the model so it can inform decisions on specific issues at the global, regional and local level, the CPSES at PPCU organized the multidisciplinary Workgroup on Global Sustainability. This workgroup brings substantial expertise to the problem in the areas of process graph (P-graph) theory for network synthesis, information theory for complex system analysis, ecological economics, systems ecology, computer simulation based on both continuous and agent-based models, optimal control algorithms, and law and ethics. This a powerful combination expertise not commonly found in research groups elsewhere. It is the intent to focus this considerable expertise in a major effort find solutions to sustainability rather stopping at problem characterization. This means to develop powerful theories embedded in computer-based methods capable of finding combinations of policies, technologies, and practices that can create pathways for moving human society towards sustainability. In summary, we propose to use modern science to develop the tools that will make it possible to achieve many of the goals outlined in Laudato si’.

 

CPSES-PPCU Workgroup Members:

Fr. Anselm Szuromi, D.Sc. (Co-Leader)       Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Hungary

Heriberto Cabezas, Ph.D. (Co-Leader)         Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Hungary

Ferenc Friedler, Ph.D. (Mathematics)                       Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Hungary

Emoke Korzenszky, Ph.D. (Global Issues)   Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Hungary

Urmila Diwekar, Ph.D. (Modeling)               Vishwamitra Research Institute, USA

Audrey Mayer, Ph.D. (Ecology)                    Michigan Technological University, USA

Joshua Farley, Ph.D.  (Economics)                University of Vermont, USA

Yogendra Shastri, Ph.D. (Modeling)             Indian Institute of Technology, India

CPSES-PPCU Workgroup Collaborators:

Diogo Bolster, Ph.D. (Engineering)              University of Notre Dame, USA

 Symposium Goals:    

 

The CPSES Workgroup of PPCU has wide expertise across several disciplines including engineering, economics, ecology, and social science. The work will potentially have wide-ranging implications for decisions involving policy and technology. Hence, it is important to initiate a public dialog early in the process. To this purpose, the Symposium has the following goals:

1. Provide a detailed briefing to the Holy See on the efforts of the Workgroup.
2. Conduct a public discussion of the proposed effort.
3. Initiate the public dialog which should eventually lead to a level of consensus.

 Product:         

Summary report documenting the main conclusions from the Symposium.

Symposium Program:

 

09:15  Registration

 

09:35   Welcome                                                                    Fr. A. Szuromi, Rector

                                                                                               Pazmany Peter Catholic University

 

09:45   Message of H.Em. Card. Peter K.A. Turkson

Dicastery for the Service of the Integral Human Development      

 

10:00   Encyclical letter Laudato si' as 'Constitution'

Fr. A. Szuromi, Rector (Pazmany Peter Catholic University)

on Responsibility of Global Sustainability              

 

10:45  Coffee Break

 

11:00  Workgroup on Global Sustainability

H. Cabezas, Professor (Pazmany Peter Catholic University)

 

11:45  Science Serving Society - The Environmental

D. Bolster, Professor (            Change Initiative at the University of Notre Dame, University of Notre Dame)

 

12:30  Lunch

 

14:00  Ecology and Sustainability

A. Mayer, Professor (Michigan Technological University)

 

14:45  Network Synthesis for Sustainability

F. Friedler, Professor (Pazmany Peter Catholic University)

 

15:30  Coffee Break

 

15:45  Options Theory and Optimal Control

U. Diwekar, President and Founder (Vishwamitra Research Institute)

 

16:30  Summary Discussion

(A. Szuromi/H. Cabezas)

 

17:15  Next Steps

(A. Szuromi/H. Cabezas)

 

17:30   Conclusions