With world oil resources depleting, it is often heard that “Canada will be OK!” because we have the oil sands, a 165 billion barrel ($13 trillion @ $80/bbl1) resource that will look after Canadian requirements for over a century.

Students enrolled in courses from international relations to environment to engineering are confronted with a mountain of detail in their pursuit of higher education and finding a means of establishing a clear perspective is challenging. Large complex systems abound in our economic, social and environmental world. We need to be able to understand the structure of these systems and to be able to quantify, or represent mathematically, how they work.

Although few economists might operate a business, they are nevertheless familiar with the concepts behind the well-honed financial tools used to measure and monitor the health and operation of a commercial enterprise. These monetary tools have been developed over many centuries to illuminate the inner workings of an entity whose sole purpose is to take in more money than it expends.

As someone who operates a business, you are very familiar with the well-honed financial tools you use to measure and monitor its health and operation. These monetary tools have been developed over many centuries to illuminate the inner workings of an entity whose sole purpose is to take in more money than it expends.

Most scientists have by now taken note of the fact that commercial economics has not been offering any solutions to the numerous biophysical problems which are stacking up at humanity’s door.