Жер жүйелерін басқару және инженерия: Адам мен табиғат арақатынасының жаңа тәсілі

Earth systems engineering and management (ESEM) is a discipline used to analyze, design, engineer and manage complex environmental systems. It entails a wide range of subject areas including anthropology, engineering, environmental science, ethics and philosophy. At its core, ESEM looks to "rationally design and manage coupled human–natural systems in a highly integrated and ethical fashion". ESEM is a newly emerging area of study that has taken root at the University of Virginia, Cornell and other universities throughout the United States, and at the Centre for Earth Systems Engineering Research (CESER) at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom. Founders of the discipline are Braden Allenby and Michael Gorman.

For centuries, humans have utilized the earth and its natural resources to advance civilization and develop technology. "As a principle result of Industrial Revolutions and associated changes in human demographics, technology systems, cultures, and economic systems have been the evolution of an Earth in which the dynamics of major natural systems are increasingly dominated by human activity". In fact there are no longer any natural systems left in the world, "there are no places left on Earth that don't fall under humanity's shadow". "So the question is not, as some might wish, whether we should begin ESEM, because we have been doing it for a long time, albeit unintentionally. The issue is whether we will assume the ethical responsibility to do ESEM rationally and responsibly".

Adaptive management is a key aspect of ESEM. Adaptive management is a way of approaching environmental management. It assumes that there is a great deal of uncertainty in environmental systems and holds that there is never a final solution to an earth systems problem. Therefore, once action has been taken, the Earth Systems Engineer will need to be in constant dialogue with the system, watching for changes and how the system evolves. This way of monitoring and managing ecosystems accepts nature's inherent uncertainty and embraces it by never concluding to one certain cure to a problem.

By 1993, the Everglades had been affected by numerous human developments. The water flow and quality had been affected by the construction of canals and levees, to the series of elevated highways running through the Everglades to the expansive Everglades Agricultural Area that had contaminated the Everglades with high amounts of nitrogen. The result of this reduced flow of water was dramatic. There was a 90 95% reduction in wading bird populations, declining fish populations and salt water intrusion into the ecosystem. If the Florida Everglades were to remain a US landmark, action needed to be taken.

It was in 1993 that the Army Corps of Engineers analyzed the system. They determined that an ideal situation would be to "get the water right". In doing so there would be a better flow through the Everglades and a reduced number of canals and levees sending water to tide.

It was from the development of the Normative Scenario, that the Army Corps of Engineers developed CERP, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. In the plan they created a time line of projects to be completed, the estimated cost and the ultimate results of improving the ecosystem by having native flora and fauna prosper. They also outline the human benefits of the project. Not only will the solution be sustainable, as future generations will be able to enjoy the Everglades, but the correction of the water flow and through the creation of storage facilities will reduce the occurrence of droughts and water shortages in southern Florida.

Allenby, B. R. (2000). Earth systems engineering: the world as human artifact. Bridge 30 (1), 5–13. Allenby, B. R. (2005). Reconstructing earth: Technology and environment in the age of humans. Washington, DC: Island Press. From https://www. loc. gov/catdir/toc/ecip059/2005006241. html
Allenby, B. R. (2000, Winter). Earth systems engineering and management. IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, 0278 0079(Winter) 10 24. Davis, Steven, et al. Everglades: The Ecosystem and Its Restoration. Boca Raton: St Lucie Press, 1997. "Everglades." Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. 10 April 2004. https://web. archive. org/web/20051214102114/http://www. evergladesplan. org/
Gibson, J. E. (1991). How to do A systems analysis and systems analyst decalog. In W. T. Scherer (Ed. ), (Fall 2003 ed.) (pp. 29–238). Department of Systems and Information Engineering: U of Virginia. Retrieved October 29, 2005,
Gorman, Michael. (2004). Syllabus Spring Semester 2004. Retrieved October 29, 2005 from https://web. archive. org/web/20110716231016/http://repo nt. tcc. virginia. edu/classes/ESEM/syllabus. html
Hall, J. W. and O'Connell, P. E. (2007). Earth Systems Engineering: turning vision into action. Civil Engineering, 160(3): 114 122. Newton, L. H. (2003). Ethics and sustainability: Sustainable development and the moral life. Upper Saddle River, N. J.: Prentice Hall.