IVEM research aims to contribute to the transition to sustainability and environmental quality.
Our research is focused on the following subjects:
- analysis of natural resource systems
- modelling of spatial and temporal aspects of sustainable development
Natural resources such as energy, materials, water and soil are essential to meet the needs of individual people and society.
These resources are (often) scarce in quantitative or qualitative sense. Furthermore their usage is in many cases polluting environmental systems and eroding life support systems.
In our research we analyse the consequences of using our resources along the full chain of activities both in the economy and the environment (“cradle to grave”). This is the only way to assess the indirect effects of resource utilisation.
Sustainability is a complex concept which encompasses the integrated system of ecology, economy and social conditions. Sustainability has spatial and temporal consequences: it is global and long-term and thus deals not only with the here & now.
In our studies we develop and apply models and scenarios in order to assess the local, global and future aspects of sustainable development.
IVEM cooperates closely with the Dutch academic energy and environmental institutes, who are united in the research school SENSE. Part of IVEM’s funding originates from regional and national subsidies in the frame work of Energy Valley.
