2025 Emergy Summer School @ Beijing Normal University
The “Reshaping a Green Future: Global Perspectives on Environmental Accounting and Systems Thinking” Summer School, hosted by the School of Environment at Beijing Normal University, successfully concluded on July 18, 2025. This intensive program brought together leading international experts in the field of Emergy theory. Professors Mark Brown (University of Florida), Prof. Sergio Ulgiati (Parthenope University of Naples, Italy), Prof. Francesco Gonella (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy), and Prof. Gengyuan Liu (Beijing Normal University) jointly delivered a dynamic and intellectually stimulating curriculum. Over 50 participants from 9 countries, attending both in person and online, completed the five-day, 32-hour academic course and were awarded certificates of completion. Their engagement added fresh momentum to the global discourse on environmental accounting and systems thinking.
On the first day, Prof. Francesco introduced systems thinking as a foundational method for analyzing complexity. He emphasized the roles of feedback mechanisms and sustainability and illustrated the movement and transformation of energy within systems using intuitive diagrams. In the afternoon, he systematically introduced the principles and conceptual framework of Emergy theory, grounded in thermodynamics, offering vivid insights into the ecological interdependencies of daily life. The day concluded with a group photo of the instructors and on-site participants.
The second day began with Prof. Mark’s lecture on the methodological foundations of global emergy baseline accounting. He then introduced the emergy monetary ratio and, through case studies, demonstrated how to quantify the natural capital of ecosystem services and apply emergy cost-benefit evaluations in practice. In the afternoon, Prof. Sergio presented the fundamentals of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), comparing its principles and methodological overlap with Emergy analysis through practical examples.
On the third day, Prof. Sergio reviewed the previous day’s content and led participants through the application of LCA in calculating Unit Emergy Values (UEVs). In the afternoon, Prof. Francesco guided participants through a hands-on case involving a biomass power generation system, deepening their skills in applying systems thinking to real-world sustainability challenges.
The fourth day began with Prof. Mark delivering a detailed lecture on thermodynamics and the environmental support required for natural resource formation. He explained the hierarchical classification of primary resources in the geobiosphere using a level-based approach (Levels 1, 2, and 3). In the afternoon, Prof. Sergio presented the structure, analytical logic, and practical application of the emergy indicator system in sustainability assessment.
On the final day, Prof. Francesco opened with a biomedical systems case study to demonstrate systems thinking in interdisciplinary applications. Prof. Sergio then shared best practices for integrating LCA and Emergy analysis, using academic literature to walk participants through standardized procedures. Prof. Liu closed the course with a summary lecture, reviewing the development and vision of the Summer School, and expressed heartfelt thanks to all participants and instructors. The event concluded with a certificate ceremony and a commemorative group photo, marking a successful and inspiring culmination to an enriching academic journey.
