Transaction-scale Environmental Accounting
We can’t manage what we can’t measure
Our economies are depleting finite environmental assets (EAs) – from clean air to rare metals – at an unsustainable rate. To navigate the coming challenges, we must transition from mindless consumption to mindful governance. But effective governance is impossible without precise, individual-level accounting.
The landscape of today’s environmental footprinting is broken. The two major methods (LCA and EEIO) have complementary strengths but are mathematically incompatible. Current hybrid approaches attempt to bridge them, but require case-specific reconciliation.
What is μ-IOA?
Micro-Scale Input-Output Analysis (μ-IOA) is a mathematical framework that unifies EEIO and LCA into a single formalism.
It opens the way to calculating the environmental footprint of every product and every income, by tracing environmental impacts through the entire web of economic transactions.
It can be the foundation for:
- Truly progressive environmental taxes.
- Verifiable “green” investing and spending.
- Empowering consumers and citizens with accurate data.
- Holding corporations accountable for their entire supply chain.
A Collective, Emerging Field
This vision for granular environmental accounting is shared by a growing community. The theoretical foundations are taking shape, but the vast work of building data standards and real-world tools lies ahead.
This site serves as a reference for the mathematical framework that can underpin this collective effort.