Topic 1 - Foundations

Perspective

Perspective is how a particular situation is viewed and understood by an individual. It is based on a mix of personal and collective assumptions, values and beliefs.

Assumptions

Assumptions are underlying ideas we have about the world. They are mental shortcuts that allow us to make quick judgements and interpret complex situations. They can lead to inaccurate judgements if based on misinformation.

Values

Values are qualities or principles that people feel have worth and importance in life. Values shape our communication, priorities, and actions in the world.

Beliefs

Beliefs are our convictions about reality and are often closely related to values. Beliefs isn’t only associated with religion or spirituality, but also politics, economics and the environment.

Conflicts in Values

Values and belief’s are integral in one’s identity. Conflicting values can lead to tension between individuals. Interacting with others who holds different values can make you feel threatened.

Worldview

Worldview refers to a collective perspective. Worldviews are lenses shared by groups of people and influence the way we think about many aspects of our lives.

Human-nature dualism

This is a worldview that sees humans as separate from nature, and views nature as a resource for exploitation by humans. The separation is the root of environmental problems we face.

Imperialist Worldview

A human-dualism worldview that suggests there is a sacred bond between humans and their god, nature is separate. Science is used to control nature.

Stewardship worldview

Human-dualism worldview that suggests humans have local and global responsibility towards the environment. We can manage and exploit nature, therefore it is our duty to maintain it respectfully.

Romantic worldview

Human-dualism worldview that suggests nature is valuable to human beings because it is beautiful and should be seen aesthetically.

Utilitarian worldview

A human-dualism worldview form that suggests the greatest good is happiness and freedom from pain and suffering. Actions that promote good for human is seen as morally right. Nature is seen from what it can do for humans.

Behavior over time graphs

A behavior over time graph shows the change in a variable over a defined time period. These graphs are useful tools in system thinking to identify how complex system behave over time.

Influences on perspectives and worldviews

• Sociocultural norms

• Scientific understandings

• Laws

• Religion

• Economic conditions

• Campaigns

• Demographics

• Local and global events

• Specific lived experiences

Environmental Value System (EVS)

An EVS is a type of worldview that is focused on the relationship between human beings and the natural world.

Three Elements of A System

Inputs, processes, and outputs.

Ecocentrism

A category of the EVS. It is a worldview that places nature at the centre of our value system. Ecocentrists believe that nature has intrinsic value, and they value the rights of nature just like human rights.

Anthropocentrism

One categories of EVS, it is an environmental worldview that places humans at the center of our value system. Human interests and well-being are the primary focus. In this point of view, nature is valued for its usefulness to humans.

Technocentrism

One of EVS categories, a modern environmental worldview that believes technology and human innovation can address more social and environmental issues.

Influences on environmental movement

LISTIME - Literature, Individuals, Scientific discoveries, Technological developments, International agreements, Media, Environmental disasters.

Model

A model is a simplified representation of structures, relationships, processes. They simplify reality.

Forms of Models

• Diagrams

• Mathematical Equations

• Physical models

• Computer models

• Text descriptions

Pros of Models

• Understand crucial components in complex situation.

• Make future predictions

• Transfers understanding through different fields

• Understanding things too small or too large to be seen

• Recognize pattern

• Run an experiment

• Communicate ideas

Cons of Models

• Models leave out different informations that is considered not important

• Models are made out of assumptions

• Doesn’t include important qualitative data or details

System

A system is any set of interaction or interdependent components working together to create a function whole.

What do systems have?

• Parts

• Connection between those parts

• Function and purpose

• Having emergent properties

Emergent properties/ Emergence

Characteristic of a system that only appears when the system parts interact, while the parts alone themselves do not exhibit these characteristics.

The system approach

Also known as system thinking, means exploring connections and interdependencies between parts of a system to understand a whole. Understanding a system first before making conclusions about the world.

System boundaries

A line that separates the system from the external environment that is not part of that system. External environment isn’t part of the system, but can affect or be affected by the system.

Open system

An open system is a system that exchanges both matters and energy with its external environment. Ponds and living organisms are considered open systems.

Closed System

Closed system exchanges energy with the external environment, but not matter. Some examples can include the carbon cycle or the nitrogen cycle, as there is not outgoing matter on a global scale.

The Gaia Hypothesis

A book that presents the idea that Earth functions as a self-regulating living organism. It suggests that all living organism with the Earth’s physical component form a complex system that maintains its habitability.

Key Elements of Systems

Storage and Flows

System Storage

Is an accumulation of material, energy, or information.

E.g. Water in a bathtub, wood in a tree, etc.

Flows

Flows is the movement of matter, energy, or information into or out of a storage in a system.

Outflow

A movement of matter, energy, or information out of a storage, which causes the storage to decrease.

Inflow

A movement of matter, energy, or information into a storage which causes the storage to increase.

System Diagrams Representation

• Storages - storages are represented by rectangular boxes and can be drawn in different sizes to represent the different sized storages.

• Flows - directions of flows are represented by arrows, can be drawn with different sizes for flow size.

• Boundaries - cloud outlines can represent the unexplored area outside the boundary of the diagram.

Principles of Storages and Flows

• Sum of inflow is greater than sum of outflow, then level storage will increase.

• Sum of all outflows is greater than the sum of all inflows then the level of storage will decrease.

• Sum of all inflows and outflows are the same, then the level of storage with not change.

Buffer

Something that reduces a shock to a system, such as a large storage that can withstand a temporary disruption to a flow.

Transfer

A change in location of energy or matter without any change in its state or form.

Transformation

Also moves energy and matter, but in the process there is a change in the chemical nature, state or change in energy.

Steady-state equilibrium

A situation where there are continuous inputs and outputs of energy or matter to the system that may result in short-term changes for imbalances.

Stable equilibrium

The tendency in a system for it to return to a previous equilibrium condition following a disturbance.

Succession

The process of change over time in an ecosystem.

Negative Feedback Loop

Also called a balancing feedback loop, occurs when the output of a storage or system returns as an input that stop or reverses the operations of the same process.

Positive Feedback Loops

It usually leads to unstable systems. Occurs when the output of a storage or system returns as an input in a way that amplifies the change. It destabilize the system and drive it away form the equilibrium.

Tipping point

A tipping point is the minimum amount of change that will cause destabilization within a system. This disturbance shifts the entire system into a new equilibrium state.

Casual Loop Diagram

System of diagram that shows the relationships between different variables in the system. It entails four basic elements: variables, casual connections, type of influences (inverse or direct), type of loop (-B,+R)

Resilience

A system’s ability to recover after disturbance. A resilient system avoids tipping points and stay stable.

Factors Affecting Resilience

• Diversity

• Number of storages

Why these resilience affecting factors work

• Diversity increase species interaction, forming dense webs of connection for quick feedback response. Redundancy allows one species to substitute another. Genetic diversity allows for better survival after a disturbance.

• Size & Numbers of Storages - Larger storages are more stable than smaller ones. Multiple storages allow one to to replace another if if it’s gone, still upholding the ecosystem.
  

Regeneration

Any process or action that enables a system to renew and recover from the damage.

Sustainability

A measure of the extent in which practices allow for the long term viability of a system. It is generally used to refer to the responsible use of resources in a way that doesn’t diminish the conditions for future generations.

Sustainability Domains

• Environmental

• Social

• Economic

Sustainability Models

• Weak sustainability models place the economy central, whilst society and the environment is external to it and there is no overlaps between them.

• A strong sustainability model recognizes that the economy is embedded within societies, and both of them are then embedded into the environment. It highlights the dependencies of these three domains on each other.

Environmental Sustainability

The use and management of natural resources that allows for the replacement of resources, recovery and regeneration of systems. (conserving biodiversity, active ecosystem regeneration, pollution)

Human Provisioning

The process where human use energy and materials form their surroundings to survive and thrive.

Nature’s Unifying Patterns (Principles)

• Nature recycles all materials

• Nature uses chemistry and materials that are safe for living beings

• Nature build using abundant resources, incorporating rare resources infrequently.

Social sustainability

Involves creating structures that support human well-being, including health, education, equity, community, and other social factors, focusing on the survival of societies and their culture.

Social capital

Community’s network of relationships which support individuals and enable the society to function effectively.

Economic sustainability

Creating economic structures and systems to support production and consumptions of goods and services, supporting human needs into the future.

Provisioning system

System that human use to turn raw materials and energy into goods and services needed for survival.

Economic inequality

Unequal distribution of income, wealth, consumption, and opportunity in a society. (created by positive (reinforcing) feedback loop of wealth and income.

Environmental justice

The right of all people to live in a pollution-free environment and have equitable access to resources regardless of demographic issues.

Sustainable developments

Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, applying sustainability to social and economic developments.

Composite indicators

Measure of multiple characteristics of people or ecosystem; often presented as an index number however not always.

Ecological Footprint

Measurement of a population’s use of natural resources and waste production.

Biocapacity

The capacity of a given biologically productive area to generate an ongoing supply of renewable resources and absorb its resulting wastes.

Biocapacity deficit

Where a population’s ecological footprint is greater than the resources that nature can provide and regenerate, indicating unsustainability.

Carbon Footprint

Measure of greenhouse gasses emissions from our economic activities.

Water Footprint

Measures the total water used (cubic meters per year) for the goods and services we consume, including embedded water in products.

Citizen Science

When non-scientists help researchers collect environmental data.

UN SDGs

Framework for understanding and taking action for sustainability, it is a set of objectives created by the Un in 2015 which addresses the global challenges face by humanity.

Pros and Cons of SDGs

+It has a common common set of goals
+ It is universal
+ Uses data
- Does not recognize how society, environment and economy are connected
- Lack of context for certain countries
- Some targets don’t have adequate indicators.

Circular Economy

Is a model that promotes disassociating economic activities from consuming finite resources. It has three main principles: eliminating waste + pollutions, circulating products+ materials, regenerating nature.

Doughnut Economics Model

A framework for creating an economy that meet the needs of all people within the means of the planet.

Planetary Boundaries Model

The model describes the nine processes and systems that regulated the stability and resilience of the Earth system in the current era. The model identifies the limits of human disturbances to those systems and proposes that crossing those limits increase the risk of irreversible changes to the Earth’s systems.