Small Island Developing States (SIDS) contribute little to global emissions yet face disproportionate climate and market shocks. Their vulnerability is geographic and structural, driven by external resource dependence, lock-in of hazard-zone stocks, and weak circularity. The Socio-Metabolic Risk (SMR) concept addresses these drivers by linking material flows and stocks to systemic fragility. This study provides the first operationalization of SMR through a longitudinal (2000–2022) economy-wide material flow analysis (ew-MFA) mass-balance account for a SIDS, using Fiji. We interpret ew-MFA indicators as risk diagnostics: Import Dependence Ratios (IDR) capture exposure to supply shocks; Net Additions to Stock (NAS) trace accumulation of long-lived, hazard-prone assets; and circularity rates measure material recovery. Results show that between 2000 and 2022, Fiji’s overall IDR increased from 27 to 46

Considering the importance of waste metals for the transition to circular economies, this study follows a bioinspired approach to evaluate their material and monetary global trade patterns for sustainability and equity. Between 2000 and 2022, the global trade grew by 5 % in trading countries, by 37 % in trade links, by 71 % in material flows, and by 569 % in economic flows. Driven by indirect effects, the average circulation of material and monetary flows ranged between 21.8-34.9 - 34.9 % depending on the demand or supply perspective but showed a declining trend. Due to homogenization, high network redundancy, and low network efficiency the trade remained robust yet outside the "window of vitality" characterizing natural ecosystems. A few, mostly high-income countries dominated the market, consolidating imports of high-value metal waste mostly from low- and middle- income exporters. Policies should address circularity and trade inequities, accounting for environmental and social ramifications throughout the lifecycle of products and materials.

An ecological metaphor can enable transitions towards regenerative circular economies. Yet, this potential remains latent because its conceptual development, which is a prerequisite for its practical operationalization, is in its incipient phase and largely vague. To strengthen its epistemological underpinning, we propose a forward looking interdisciplinary research agenda which brings together theories, ontological positions, analytical approaches, and strategies of action from ecological economics, panarchy theory, socio-metabolic research, process ecology, environ network theory, the constructal law, nature-based solutions, complexity economics, doughnut economics, regenerative economics, and ergodicity economics. The agenda facilitates the concentration, consolidation, and acceleration of theoretical and methodological innovation for the generation and accumulation of a diverse yet coherent body of knowledge on the interpretation of the process of regeneration and for illuminating the ways in which regenerative circular economies may function.

Biomass remains the most important energy carrier of rural households in low- and middle-income countries, but its indoor combustion has grave impacts on human health and its extraction is associated with negative effects on ecosystems. Currently, robust and comprehensive data are lacking to trace biomass flows from ecosystems to consumption in households and quantify the related services. This impedes analyses of the social and environmental impacts of biomass use. By developing a source-to-service approach, this paper analyses the provision of domestic energy services in three villages in rural Ethiopia using a socio-metabolic perspective. We combine quantitative and qualitative methods to study the dynamics of domestic biomass use for energy and examine social and environmental implications. We find that the average household consumes 84 GJ/year of biomass (15 GJ per capita/year). Space heating, food and drinking water preparation combined require 86% of domestic energy. Improved cookstoves can reduce domestic energy use by 12%. Our results open new avenues for advancing the scientific understanding of rural energy systems dependent on biomass. These insights are essential to enhance research on sustainable energy systems in rural, bioenergy-dependent areas and may also prove useful in designing policies and innovations to improve provisioning of energy services.

This article introduces a long-term transdisciplinary research process on the Greek island of Samothraki, aiming at sustainability solutions that are not only scientifically sound, but also co -designed, well received and adopted by the local community. We reflect on 15 years of socioecological research by utilizing the conceptual lens of real -world laboratories (RwLs). We present the research approach pursued on the island, based on a sociometabolic understanding of society -nature interaction, by relating local natural resources (and their self -regenerating capacities) to their social utilization and the resulting environmental pressures. We reflect on the research activities by using an established evaluation framework based on the three RwL principles: the "lab context", "experiments", and "interventions". We describe success and setbacks by integrating, as objects of evaluation, the research process, its outputs, outcomes, and impacts. While we can certainly showcase success in terms of research design, scientific outputs, and institutional outcomes, gauging potential impacts poses a more challenging task.

IntroductionSocio-metabolic risks (SMRs) are systemic risks associated with the availability of critical resources, the integrity of material circulation, and the distribution of their costs and benefits in a socio-ecological system. For resource-stressed systems like small island nations, understanding trade-offs and synergies between critical resources is not only crucial, but urgent. Climate change is already putting small islands at high risk through more frequent and intense extreme weather events, changing precipitation patterns, and threats of inundation with future sea-level rise. MethodsThis study compares the shifting resource-baseline for 14 Caribbean island nations for the year 2000 and 2017. We analyze water, energy, and food (WEF) and their nexus through the lens of SMRs, using indicators related to their availability, access, consumption, and self-sufficiency. ResultsOur findings point to the decreasing availability of all three resources within the Caribbean region. Meanwhile, between 2000 and 2017, consumption levels have increased by 20% with respect to water (from 230 to 275 m(3)/cap/yr) and primary energy (from 89 to 110 GJ/cap/yr), and 5% for food (from 2,570 to 2,700 kcal/cap/day). While universal access to these resources increased in the population, food and energy self-sufficiency of the region has declined. DiscussionCurrent patterns of resource-use, combined with maladaptive practices, and climate insensitive development-such as coastal squeeze, centralized energy systems, and trade policies-magnify islands' vulnerability. Disturbances, such as climate-induced extreme events, environmental changes, financial crises, or overexploitation of local resources, could lead to cascading dysfunction and eventual breakdown of the biophysical basis of island systems. This research is a first attempt at operationalizing the concept of SMRs, and offers a deeper understanding of risk-related resource dynamics on small islands, and highlights the urgency for policy response.

Effective waste management is a global challenge, but especially so on small and remote islands where resource flows are constrained by geography. This contribution provides a scoping review on scholarship surrounding island waste management systems over the last two decades. Scientific contributions are discussed according to four dominant themes in the literature: (1) limited capacity of islands in waste management and absorption, (2) 'end-of-pipe' solutions as the primary focus, (3) the social dimension of waste, and (4) socioeconomic drivers of island waste generation. We conclude by stating that current research on island waste and its management treats material outflows as 'tame' problems to be rationalized, economized, and solved, using various parameters. We find that for the most part, the literature does not acknowledge or address the root causes of waste-related problems, such as orienting island economies toward consumption-based development, and often lacks consideration of the 'island context' when it comes to rethinking strategic pathways for sustainable development. We propose the Socio-metabolic Research (SMR) framework for analyzing and tackling waste challenges on islands, as systemic approaches that link the biophysical with socioeconomic aspects are urgently needed.

Resource-use patterns may entail systemic risks and cascade effects, which consequently inhibit the ability to deliver socioeconomic services. Identifying resource-use patterns exhibiting systemic risks and reshaping their combinations is a potential lever in realizing the transition to a sustainable, resilient, and resource-secure system. Using an island context to assess the quantity and composition of resource throughput enables a more comprehensive analysis of these risks. This article presents the first mass-balance account of socio-metabolic flows for The Bahamas in 2018, to identify socio-metabolic risks and cascading effects. Socio-metabolic risks are systemic risks related to critical resource availability, material circulation integrity, and (in)equities in cost and benefit distributions. We utilize the economy-wide material flow accounting framework to map the material flow patterns across the economy. In 2018, annual direct material input was estimated at 9.4 t/cap/yr, of which 60% were imports. High masses of waste (1.4 t/cap/yr) remained unrecovered due to the lack of recycling. Total domestic extraction (DE) were dominated by non-metallic minerals with more than 80%, while marine biomass makes up barely 1% of total DE. Due to its linear, undiversified metabolism, and heavy imports dependency, the system is susceptible to socio-metabolic risks and cascading effects including low levels of self-sufficiency, high vulnerability to shocks, commodity price fluctuations, threats to sensitive ecosystems, health impacts, and economic losses, among others. A holistic resource management strategy and nature-based solutions that consider the trade-offs and synergies between different resource-use patterns are critical when exploring potential plans for metabolic risk reduction.

Recent research suggests that over 75% of resources extracted globally now go toward creating, maintaining, or operating material stocks (MS) to provide societal services like housing, transport, education, and health. However, the integrity of current and future built environments, and the capacity of the system to continue providing services, are threatened by extreme events and sea-level rise (SLR). This is especially significant for the most disaster-prone countries in the world: Small Island Developing States. In the aftermath of disasters, complex rebuilding efforts require substantial material and economic resources, oftentimes incurring massive debt. Understanding the composition and dynamics of MS and environmental threats is essential for current and future sustainable development. Drawing on open-source OpenStreetMap (OSM) data, we conducted a spatially explicit material stock analysis (MSA) for The Bahamas for 2021, where we included buildings and transport MS, and SLR exposure scenarios. Total MS was estimated at 76 million tonnes (Mt) or 191 tonnes per capita (t/cap) of which transport comprises 43%. These MS are likely to increase by 36 Mt in the future. Simulations show that under 1-, 2-, or 3-m SLR scenarios, around 4, 6, and 9 Mt of current MS will be exposed, with transport MS at greatest risk, with over 80% of total exposure in each scenario. Our findings highlight the critical role that key MS play in sustainability and resilience, contributing to the emphasis on effective development planning and climate change adaptation strategies, and to the exploration of the use of OSM data for studying these objectives.

Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology ISSN 1470-3947 (print) | ISSN 1479-6848 (online)

For many islands, the answer to the question “why a locally, self-sustaining, and regenerative economy is needed?” is clear. The struggle often lies in the “how”. Here, we argue that tools from regenerative economics, which follow an island economy-as-an-organism analogy, offer valuable and complementary insights to socio-metabolic research. Indicators from flow-based and information-based ecological network analysis can quantify properties of an island's socio-economic metabolism (SEM) which are related to cycling, resilience, and degree of mutualism, among others. To illustrate the applicability of these methods, we select Samothraki in Greece as a case study. Results show that over the years the island became very efficient in streamlining imported resources, experiencing physical growth as indicated by a substantial increase in its total material throughput. This growth was attributed to a high degree of order (i.e., network efficiency) endowed by the constraining (ordered) part of the linear structure of the island's SEM. The disordered part of its SEM which is related to resilience, played a much smaller role which became progressively more important over the years, albeit to a limited degree. While the island exhibits an increasing trend in its robustness, its value over the years studied was well below what is typically observed for healthy natural ecosystems, and its current SEM has a very low ability to generate internal flow activity and cycling of resources per unit input. This limited robustness is due to the island's dependency on imports but also due to its linear SEM which had a very small number of feedback loops in its network. A scenario analysis showed that a reticulated network structure would theoretically endow the island with increased resilience, and hence robustness, by allowing for more internal resource flow activity to be circulated as regenerative re-investment. This article highlights that methods from regenerative economics can be used as diagnostic tools to assess and monitor the impact of strategies related to circular economy interventions on network properties, and to illuminate their effect on the regenerative potential of islands.

Small island states and jurisdictions face enormous sustainability challenges such as isolation from global markets, tenuous resource availability, heavy reliance on imports to meet basic needs, coastal squeeze, and reduced waste absorption capacity. At the same time, the adverse effects of global environmental change such as global warming, extreme events, and outbreaks of pandemics significantly hinder island economies’ progress towards sustainability, and consistently rank them high on various vulnerability indices. This talk introduces the concept of socio-metabolic risk, defined as systemic risk associated with the availability of critical resources, the integrity of material circulation, and the (in)equitable distribution of derived products and societal services in a socio-ecological system. Drawing on years of socio-metabolic research on islands, I will argue that specific configurations and combinations of material stocks and flows and their ‘resistance to change’ contribute to the system’s proliferation of socio-metabolic risk (SMR). For better or for worse, these influence the system’s ability to consistently and effectively deliver societal services necessary for human survival. Governing SMR would mean governing socio-metabolic flows, and easing resource requirements through green(-blue) infrastructure and nature-based solutions (NBS) to provide crucial societal services. Such interventions will need strategies to reconfigure resource-use patterns and associated services that are sustainable as well as socially equitable.

•Severely food insecure households faced significant challenges before Cyclone Idai.•Following Cyclone Idai, these households prioritized housing, food and water.•Common coping strategies included re-allocating and collecting entitlements.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face enormous sustainability challenges such as heavy reliance on imports to meet basic needs, tenuous resource availability, coastal squeeze, and reduced waste absorption capacity. At the same time, the adverse effects of global environmental change such as global warming, extreme events, and outbreaks of pandemics significantly hinder SIDS' progress towards sustainable development. This paper makes a conceptual contribution by framing the vulnerability of small islands from the perspective of socio-metabolic risk (SMR). SMR is defined as systemic risk associated with the availability of critical resources, the integrity of material circulation, and the (in)equitable distribution of derived products and societal services in a socio-ecological system. We argue that specific configurations and combinations of material stocks and flows on islands and their 'resistance to change' contribute to the system's proliferation of SMR. For better or for worse, these influence the system's ability to consistently and effectively deliver societal services necessary for survival. By positioning SMR as a subset of systemic risk, the paper illustrates SMRs and tipping points on small islands using insights from three sectors: water, waste, and infrastructure. We also identify effective leverage points and adaptation strategies for building system resilience on small islands. In conclusion, our synthesis suggests that governing SMR on SIDS would mean governing socio-metabolic flows to avoid potential disruptions in the circulation of critical resources and the maintenance of vital infrastructures and services while inducing interventions towards positive social tipping dynamics. Such interventions will need strategies to reconfigure resource-use patterns and associated services that are sustainable and socially equitable.

Small island developing states are often characterized as vulnerable owing to their unique geographies of smallness and remoteness, resource insecurity, and more recently from the impacts of climate change. These vulnerabilities are often manifested in resource insecurity, significant imports, poor waste management, and the inability to develop economies of scale. In effect, sustaining small islands in an era of global environmental change is a task both scholars and policy makers are increasingly grappling with. Can small islands be sustainable? This research examines the social metabolism of an island system, and introduces the concept of “socio-metabolic vulnerability”. As such, this research provides novel insights into the linkages between patterns of resource-use, systemic risks and vulnerability. Results from a local material and energy flow analysis (local-MEFA) for the island of Ndzuwani (Comoros) suggest a very low level of resource-use but at the same time heavy reliance on critical imports that cover vast distances, that are vulnerable to price and climate shocks. Informal activities in resource extraction play an important role in lending both vulnerability and resilience to Ndzuwani. This study adds to the scarce body of literature that argues that small island economies would need to leverage resource-use patterns to build system resilience, along with bold policies and institutions that support material circularity, engage communities and fosters frugal innovation.

Small island economies are highly dependent on food imports. Self‐sufficiency through food localization is therefore often advocated. Can a small Caribbean island nation localize its food system? To answer this question, we conducted socio‐metabolic research on four Caribbean nations: Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, and Jamaica. Derived indicators from a diachronic biomass flow accounting from 1961 to 2019 suggest a declining trend in local food production for all cases. While in Barbados and Jamaica this decline already began in the 1960s, for Dominica and Grenada, this did not start until the late 1970s–1980s. The physical trade balance of biomass is similar across all cases: from net exporters at the start of the study period to net importers as countries developed, albeit at different time periods. By disaggregating biomass flow data to crop level, Barbados and Jamaica indicate a trend that is moving away from food localization, while Dominica and Grenada appear to be modestly moving toward localization in recent years. Given the many resource security challenges small island economies face, this study provides a biophysical perspective to the Caribbean's food security debate and questions the extent to which food localization is possible in a small island context, and whether other strategies are urgently needed.

The Caribbean region remains susceptible to an increasing frequency of natural disasters, rising international debt, out-migration, rapid urbanization, and high imports to meet basic needs. Food and nutrition insecurity persists in these small island states, with around 67.5% of the population living in moderate or severe food insecurity. Policy adjustments required to address the targets subsumed by the second sustainable development goal (SDG2 or Zero Hunger) are still at an infant stage. This research offers rigorous and up-to-date analyzes of the current status of Caribbean food policies and practices through a scoping review and expert interviews to answer the question, “What constraints and enablers impact the ability of small island states to achieve the Zero Hunger goal?”. A scoping review is performed following the relevant population, concept, and context (PCC) methodology by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). Five major challenges and barriers are identified through the scoping review: (i) island geography, (ii) governance deficiencies, and (iii) institutional constraints, compounded by (iv) collaboration barriers, and (v) externally imposed impediments (including environmental and financial shocks). To address these challenges, synergistic linkages and restrictive connections have been recognized for SDG2 localization. It was concluded that three dimensions of food security (utilization, agency, and sustainability) are mainly overlooked, necessitating special attention and action. By identifying bridging institutions and engaging various actors in supporting shared rulemaking, power, conflict management, and knowledge-sharing among local, national, and regional policy actors, a polycentric governance system is recommended as a suitable mechanism to help islands move towards food security.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), representing approximately USD 13.5 trillion of the global GDP, is one of the largest free-trade agreements in the world. This trade agreement considers many important issues yet fails to address climate change or carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. CO2 emissions in trade are critical as all CPTPP parties have made significant carbon emissions reduction commitments of between 8-36% through the COP21- Paris Agreement. Herein lies a paradox. This study assesses the amount of embedded CO2 emissions in the CPTPP through an input-output analysis of consumption-based emissions in ten carbon-intensive sectors, under three scenarios. The results reveal that as trade between partners increases, so will CO2 emissions across those sectors. These findings are essential for policymakers who are striving to grow Partnerships (Sustainable Development Goal 17) while seeking to address Climate Action (Sustainable Development Goal 13), which appear to be conflicting goals.

This entry reviews key trends in disaster research over the past century, in terms of definitions, causes, impacts, and current practices in dealing with disasters. The second part uses the case of the Nicobar Islands in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami and shows how an indigenous, subsistence, island community of hunters and gatherers has been transformed into an aid‐dependent, monetary economy embedded in the regional market. The new consumer profile brings in a high potential for social conflict in terms of access to resources and land, leadership, social coherence, family structure, and the need for continued aid flow. The case illustrates the metabolic collapse of an island socioecological system, and reveals the inherent metabolic risks and traps in terms of the islands' sustainable future, both ecologically and socially, and the role of disaster response in driving them to their biophysical limits as islands in the aftermath.