Macroscopically, the theorem may be useful environmentally, in ecophysics. An ecosystem is a complex system, where many factors and components interact, some biotic and some abiotic. The Gouy-Stodola theorem can find how much entropy is generated by each part of the system, or how much work is lost. Where there is human interference in an ecosystem, whether the ecosystem continues to exist or is lost may depend on how many irreversibilities it can support. The amount of entropy which is generated or the amount of work the system can perform may vary. Hence, two different states (for example, a healthy forest versus one which has undergone significant deforestation) of the same ecosystem may be compared in terms of entropy generation, and this may be used to evaluate the sustainability of the ecosystem under human interference.