Sustainable System Management: Achieving Sustainability with a Systems Theory Approach

Sustainability has emerged as the central theme to manage and avert large scale environmental and resource degradation associated with intense human development. Systems theory provides a strong mathematical platform to achieve these goals which are often multi-disciplinary involving disparate temporal and spatial scales. This work is a step in that direction and explores the application of systems theory techniques such as modeling, optimization and optimal control for sustainable management. The work analyzes drinking water distribution system (sensor placement for risk minimization), mercury pollution management (optimization of mercury trading and lake liming for bioaccumulation control), ecological systems (disaster management of predator-prey models) and integrated ecological-economic-social systems (policy development for stability) as a part of the study. Uncertainty is incorporated at various stages through innovative modeling and solution algorithms to make the analysis robust. The results emphasize the importance of systems theory is sustainable management initiatives.