Energy constrains to increasing complexity in the biosphere

Thirty years ago, the systems ecologist Howard T. Odum introduced the concept of transformity, which is a thermodynamic measure of quality within the trial and error evolutionary dynamics of ecosystems, namely an indicator of rank in the hierarchical system structure of the biosphere. Based on a global database of individual processes and whole economies, this paper extends, refines, and updates Odum's idea, demonstrating the strength of the postulated relation. In particular, an inverse linear logarithmic relationship is shown to hold between resource quantity (exergy) and quality (emergy), which is the result of an overall energetic efficiency characteristic of energy transformation processes of the biosphere. This relation extends from natural renewable energy sources to human information (including global internet data flows) and know-how embedded in national economies, thus identifying a consistent theory of hierarchical organization of the biosphere grounded in energetics and ultimately setting constraints to illusions of unlimited growth. [Display omitted] •A well-defined representation of the self-organizing hierarchical structure of biosphere is provided•Additional evidence shows transformation processes result in work potentials (exergy) of differing quality depending on placement within the hierarchy•Expansion of higher levels of organization (i.e., information) are constrained by availability of resources requiring investments of nearly 20,000 times the energy invested at the top of the biosphere hierarchy•The understanding of energy constrains may lead to better resource management and economic policy perspectives