In essence, the concept of `industrial ecology' states that an analogy
can be drawn between the industrial system and the biosphere. Thus,
the word `industrial' here refers to the industrial ecosystem as
a whole: that is, all human activities in modern technological society
since the Industrial Revolution (including tourism, housing, agriculture,
etc.). The word `ecology' refers to the science of ecosystems. The
scope of industrial ecology is the long-term evolution of the industrial
system as a whole. Thus, environmental issues (pollution treatment,
`cleaner' technologies, etc.) are just one part of this global perspective.