Introduction

Older information of life (genetic biodiversity) and the newer information of human technological society are being combined in a unified, self-organizing process that Vernadsky called the “noosphere” (Vernadsky, 1929, 1944). To adapt human economy into the geobiosphere harmoniously requires reorganization of new and old information for symbiosis of whole-earth ecological engineering (Fig. 18.1). The term “ecological engineering” is becoming popular for designs of the new landscape that use information to unify ecosystems and human technology (Mitsch 1987; Mitsch & Jorgensen, 1989).

Principles of self-organization for maximum performance

The maximum power principle predicts that those designs of human economy which fit with nature for mutual survival will prosper. The main mechanism allows that the producers and the consumer-servicers reinforce each other (Fig. 18.1). This system develops efficiency, hierarchical roles, and division of labor. The patterns that succeed are saved as information in the form of genetic and learned biodiversity. By trial and error and sometimes by intelligent prediction, the human-aided self-organization of the earth and its economy move towards maximum, useful, resource utilization.

If human choices among alternatives are to be useful, the ongoing selforganization of human economy and environment requires quantitative measurement of contributions. This chapter explains the way “emergy” (spelled with an “m” – the work, measured in emjoules, contributed by the environment and human economy on a common basis; the available energy of one kind required to produce, copy, or maintain that information) and transformity quantitatively evaluate information of biodiversity and landscapes.