EMERGY SYNTHESIS OF ALBANIA FOR 2007

This first attempt of emergy synthesis in Albania aims at demonstrating the potentiality of this methodology in analyzing and integrating different systems on a common basis. Some emergy indices are calculated by identifying most of the emergy flows from within and outside the system. Renewable carrying capacity at present living standard (R/U) · (Population) with a value 4.52x 105 means that some 14.3 % of the actual population of 3.16x106 might be an optimum level for sustainable economic development of Albania. Sustainability index SI = 0.25 suggests an increase of attention to improve the ratio between Emergy Yield Ratio (EYR) and Environmental Load Ratio (ELR). In 2007 Albania`s Emergy/GDP ($) ratio was 5.39 x1012 while the Emergy/GWP ($) was 5.59x1011. This means that in the international trade Albania gives 9.6 times more emergy than it receives for each dollar of exports. The aforementioned fact is combined with a four fold negative trade balance (Net Exports = -3.09x109). These two indicators give a somehow pessimistic view of Albania`s economic development for the time being. Calculation of emergy synthesis for several years might offer a better understanding of development tendencies, and consequently better recommendations for people involved in policy making and environment management. Emergy synthesis might orient them towards more rational approaches to find out the best alternatives in harmonizing economic profits with the environment health