Systems Thinking Is Critical in Developing Solutions - Coursework Example

SYSTEMS THINKING AND CLIMATE CHANGE (Student Name) (Course No.) (Lecturer) (University) (Date) Introduction Systems thinking is an analysis tool that shows the relationships between various components of a system, the functioning of the systems over time as well and in connection with other larger systems. It incorporates the use of tools and concepts in an attempt to help the users conceptualize the working of more major systems (Checkland, 2004, p. 25). The primary goal of systems thinking is to enable the learners to understand the interrelationships between different contents of a system rather than the simple cost and effect perception; hence it is more detailed. Systems thinkers, therefore, establish the connection between various entities in a precise manner. Carpenter (2012) describes a system as a collection of related elements that form a whole. Systems fall into different categories such as the ecological system that includes biological organisms, the animate systems such as people, social systems that include corporations and mechanistic systems that involve machines. Systems are also classified as either closed or open systems. While open systems entail the extraction of raw materials and energy, and the release of wastes into the environment, closed systems have no exchanges with the environment and are not affected by any external forces (Lucey, 2004, p. 36). Systems thinking has many applications in various disciplines today, for instance in Environmental Studies, Engineering, Healthcare and Education. It is important because it increases a person’s understanding of the whole system rather than restricting their knowledge to the constituent parts only. It also facilitates the discovery of some aspects and effects that may be overlooked in considering the different components of a system. The interaction of systems components with each other affects them, and knowing this complexity in management is more important than understanding how complex the individual components are. Discussion Among the world’s most wicked problems that can be solved through systems thinking is climate change. Climate change refers to the changes in the statistical distribution of the weather patterns which can last for an extended period ranging from years to several decades. These changes in the weather properties range from averages and variabilities to extremes. The natural causes of climate change are; natural variations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and meteorite impacts. Human actions such as combustion of fossil fuels and industrial development also fuel climate change (Hardy, 2003, p. 13). Human beings have over the past decades exacerbated climate change through their activities (Parry, 2007, p.643). The paper discusses climate change and how systems thinking can be used to find its solutions. The significant changes in the earth’s climate in the past years were caused by the changes in the alignment of the continents and the oceans, volcanic eruptions, variations in the earth’s orbit and changes in the intensity of the sun, these caused a rise in the ground temperatures. Today, the drastic changes in the climate of the globe is caused by human activities such as burning of fossil fuels, farming and deforestation which add to the already high levels of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide to the atmosphere (Hardy, 2003). In order to fully understand how climate change occurs, it is important to conceptualize its characteristics. Complex systems like climate change are characterised by both positive and negative feedbacks. In nature, there is an equilibrium between the two. Anthropogenic activities, however, alter this balance, thus resulting in climate change. The system is also nonlinear but is considered as a cyclical system. Depending on the emissions into the atmosphere, climate change occurs and reaches a point where it is irreversible. Climate change as a system is also characterised by trade –offs. The time lag between feedbacks illustrates that the short term effects of a system to an input, for example, differs from the long term effects. In this sense, developing short term policies to tackle climate change is not an option since in most cases, the problems worsen later. Establishing policies a wholly while considering the interacting components of climate change is important in developing lasting solutions. Climatic change has several impacts on the environment and the human beings as well. Exposure to increased heat during the hot seasons cause heat stress, vulnerability is higher among the old and children. Cases of skin cancers have also risen due to exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. Aside from the health problems, food insecurity is also a result of climate change especially in the developing countries, where farmers still rely on traditional weather forecasting for their planting seasons. The results are insufficient harvests which cause hunger (Great Britain, 2014, p. 133). Ecosystems are also impacted significantly by climate change. In coastal areas for instance, the rise in sea levels interfere with the coastal ecosystems such as the mangroves, coral reefs and the salt marshes thus causing a decrease in biodiversity since they are habitats for many sea organisms. It also creates favourable conditions for the emergence of invasive species that outnumber and cause the extinction of the native and keystone species. With the increased complexities of the problems that affect the world today, systems thinking is the best solution that can be used to address these issues. It can help in developing lasting solutions to problems such as climate change by looking at the system entirely rather than the various components individually (Ford, 2011). One of the ways in which this approach is used in solving climate change issues is through climate modelling. Climate models are used in showing the expected future trends in the climatic systems of the world. As a result, the users of such models can manipulate the different variables and understand how components such as the anthropogenic activities affect climate change rather than concentrating on the components alone. For instance, systems thinking allows scientists to model the climatic effects which result from an increase or a reduction in the levels of carbon dioxide, which is an important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. Such models are then inferred to the real situation and predictions made about the future climatic trends. Measures such as reducing deforestation can then be taken to combat climate change. The concept of systems thinking is essential in developing solutions to climate change since it provides an understanding of the feedback mechanisms in place (Higgins, 2003, p.2). Unlike the cause-effect approach offered by the linear systems, it provides an understanding of the feedback loops operating within the system. Positive feedback accelerates climate change while negative feedback reduces it. Since ice has a shiny surface, it reflects the heat from the sun and thus reduces global warming effects. Increased temperatures, however, causes the ice to melt exposing the land that has a darker surface and absorbs heat thus increasing global warming. A clear understanding of these feedbacks, therefore, enables formulation of policies that govern the anthropogenic activities. An example is the polluter pays principle of the United Nations that requires industries to be accountable for the emissions they release into the atmosphere. Systems thinking allows scientists to manipulate climate change variables such as ice cover and greenhouse gas concentration and see how they affect global temperatures. The changes in the climatic conditions of the earth since the latter part of the nineteenth century is as a result of the human activities (U.S Global Change Research Program, 2012, p.81). The rapid industrial development during this period increased the concentrations of atmospheric greenhouse gases. Since then, human activities have been at the centre of climate change issues. Systems thinking allows the development of models to study the effects of increased or reduced human fuelled emissions on the climatic regimes. A proper understanding of how these anthropogenic activities influence climate has led to innovations such as the development of renewable energy technologies to reduce the burning of fossil fuels thus helping in mitigating the effects of climate change. Since human activities are the primary drivers of climate change, understanding their holistic impacts on the climate systems is important in developing mitigation measures for climate change. The importance of systems thinking in solving the issues of climate change lies in the ability of individuals to expand their thinking. As a result, individuals can apply these thinking skills in developing long lasting solutions. Many attempts at finding climate change solutions in the past have failed because they focus on the indications of the problem rather than the underlying causes (Miller, 2008, p.6). The increased number of people, for example, owning vehicles lead to increased oil consumption, this increased carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. Linear systems try to counter this by encouraging the manufacture of more efficient cars. The result is a lower oil demand and a reduction in the oil prices, limiting the purchase of the efficient vehicles. Through systems thinking, such policy gaps can be filled by increasing the costs of carbon dioxide, hence encouraging the manufacture of more efficient vehicles. Consumers are able to purchase more sustainable cars while ensuring that the oil prices remain high. In trying to solve climate change problems, systems thinking can be used in making decisions for climate adaptation mechanisms. Naturally, the response policies for climate change are adaptation and mitigation, where adaptation responds to the effects of climate change while mitigation involves ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change adaptation is, therefore, defined as ‘the actions that are designed to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change while maximizing the potential new opportunities. It involves adjusting policies and actions owing to the expected or observed climatic changes’ (Canadian Government Report, 2012, p.33). The gaps in the use of conventional approaches to climate change arise because of its complexity and the involvement of many stakeholders in climate change issues. Another major challenge is the use of conflicting policies in tackling climate change (Haurie, 2005, p.37). For example, biofuels have the capacity of meeting the energy needs of the populations in the developing countries while reducing overreliance on petroleum. However, the planting of these biofuels can lead to deforestation, hence reducing carbon sinks and thus accelerating chances of climate change. Through systems thinking, all these problems can be addressed in a holistic manner. Since climate change involves different stakeholders with different backgrounds about the issue, the systems approach establishes a common ground for all the participants. The result is the development of policies that are acceptable to all the stakeholders. Trough systems thinking, scientists and decision makers are able to fully understand the sensitive issues underlying the climate systems. This can be achieved through manipulation of parameters while checking the response to climate (Burton, 2014, p.10). Another application of systems thinking in trying to find solutions for climate change issues is in the energy sector (Fouquet, 2013, p. 43). Over the years, overreliance on cheap and inefficient energy sources has fuelled the increases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. This further increases the radiative forcing actions thus increased temperature of the globe. In systems thinking, instead of understanding the energy details alone, researchers focus on reducing ozone depletion by encouraging the use of more efficient fuels. The use of renewable energy technologies such as solar panel installation to earnest the energy from the sun, as well as the use of wind turbines that capture wind energy are some examples of the interventions. The ultimate result is conservation of the natural forests which would otherwise be cut down for fuel. All these interventions are developed as a result of a clear understanding of how the specific interacting factors affect climate systems (Brownson, 2014, p.15). Among the concepts that are used in systems thinking to solve climate change issues is the cause and effect concept. Systems thinking is formulated on the basis that each event, including climate change, has a cause and the interacting factors that can cause its adversity. This helps scientists and students in understanding the causal web of climate change, the interacting factors as well as the feedback mechanisms. Through this. Scientists are able to determine the variables that should be reduced to ensure that climate change is tackled (Hardy, 2003). Systems thinking also uses the concept of stability and change in trying to solve wicked problems such as climate change. A climate system in this context is considered stable when the inputs to the system balances the outputs (Great Britain, 2014, p. 134). Climatic change resulting from carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, for instance, is because the sources of the gas are greater than the sinks. Ideally, the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, caused by anthropogenic activities, is greater than the degree at which it is removed by the forests and oceans. Through this, the scientists are able to ascertain the levels of stability of the climate system and its rate of change. This can be used to influence policies for companies to reduce their emissions into the atmosphere. Another approach developed by systems thinking in developing climate change solutions is the scale, proportion and quantity (Parry, 2007,p. 643). This approach helps in showing the impacts on climate by through time and at different spatial scales such as the local, national, regional and global levels. At global level, this has influenced the development of new energy technologies to replace the fossil fuels and the use of charcoal and woodfuel in the developing countries. Conclusions From the above discussion, it is evident that systems thinking can be used in developing significant solutions to climate change. The concept of systems thinking provides scientists and students at large with critical thinking skills and a holistic perception of the climate change issue, which enables them to develop solutions to this problem. Through integration of the specific causal factors of climate change and the feedback loops, systems thinking provides an array of finding where the imbalance in the climatic system occurs, thus helping in finding out the measures that can be used to improve the situation. References Brownson, J. R. S. (2014). Solar energy conversion systems. Oxford, Academic Press. Burton, P. (2014). Responding to climate change: lessons from an Australian hotspot, pp. 10. Carpenter, S. (2012). Work the system: the simple mechanics of making more and working less. Austin, Tex, Greenleaf. Checkland, P. (2004). Soft systems methodology: a 30-year retrospective. Chichester [u.a.], Wiley, p.25. Ećimović, T., et al. (2002). Systems thinking and climate change system: (against a big "tragedy of commons" of all of us). Korte, SEM, Institute for climate change. Ford, J. D., & BERRANG-FORD, L. (2011). Climate change adaptation in developed nations: from theory to practice. Dordrecht, Springer. Fouquet, R. 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