Environmental decision-making: Social indicators,simulation, and public choice

A number of parallels exist between the development of social indicators and of simulation models. This paper seeks to clarify the nature of these parallels and to place them in their respective places vis-a-vis decisions dealing with complex and changing environmental problems. After delineating the role of social indicators and simulation in environmental decision-making, the paper closes with a number of areas where caution and concern are especially important. The principal conclusion is that decision-making for complex environmental problems must be synthetic in nature, and must ultimately rely on well functioning democratic political processes, since political decisions are inherently synthetic. We must avoid simple decisions dictated by technical expediency (unless of course the body politic prefers such decision models and is made aware of alternative technical opinions). In an arena of open political debate and sound technical discussion, the paper concludes that environmental decisions can be taken that respect both the ecosystem and its human inhabitants.