Summary and Outlook

In this chapter we mention some key points of our book in retrospect and offer an outlook on research to be done in the future. It is a particular concern to encourage readers to think independently and to encourage transfer based on our approach. This is especially true for topics such as thermodynamics, joint production, power of judgement and ignorance. With the choice of topics, we have provided impulses for a catalog of interdisciplinary questions with which environmental problems can be analyzed. All the concepts presented here are designed with possible action in mind. The recipients are therefore people who want to understand environmental problems comprehensively in order to contribute to necessary changes within their capabilities. None of the concepts can be directly translated into action. Intermediate steps must be taken to mediate between theory and practice, which cannot be foreseen in advance. Since the mediation depends on the circumstances and the opportunities that open up in them, it requires power of judgement. That readers may miss topics that seem important to them could not be avoided. But some aspects that are missing here, we would nevertheless like to address briefly. There are three problem areas which have not been adequately dealt with in this book. They require further research. These are.