What is Systems Sustainability?

Summary

This section explores the concept of sustainability through systems thinking. It emphasizes that sustainability is not a property of individual objects but of the relationships within systems and their environments. The video introduces the model of a system, highlighting how inputs, processes, and outputs interact within dynamic systems. It explains the critical importance of managing externalities and feedback loops to achieve sustainable solutions, using examples like smoking regulation. The focus is on how systems must balance their output to avoid degrading their environment, ultimately becoming unsustainable if the waste exceeds functional output.

Takeaways

• 😀 Sustainability is a property of systems, not objects. It's about understanding the relationship between systems and their environments over time.
• 😀 Systems must be designed to consider the entire system, as focusing only on parts can create sub-optimizations and new externalities.
• 😀 A sustainable system delivers more functional output of value, while minimizing waste or entropy in the process.
• 😀 Every system requires inputs (resources or energy) from the environment to perform a function, which produces functional outputs and potential waste.
• 😀 A system becomes unsustainable when its dysfunctional output (waste) exceeds its functional output, degrading the environment it depends on.
• 😀 The degradation of the environment from system waste leads to an unsustainable cycle where the system can no longer access the necessary resources.
• 😀 Industrial agricultural systems, for example, produce food but also create negative externalities like soil degradation, which ultimately threatens the system's sustainability.
• 😀 Sustainability issues are often the result of a uni-dimensional economic model that overlooks the environmental costs (externalities) of production.
• 😀 To create sustainable systems, we need to account for and address externalities, which can be done through causal maps and feedback loops.
• 😀 Closing feedback loops in systems, such as addressing smoking-related health costs, helps reduce negative externalities and move towards more sustainable practices.
• 😀 Regenerative models that incorporate externalities into the system's equation are key for creating fully self-sustaining systems.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the second section of the course?

The main focus is on systems modeling, and how it can help us understand sustainability, pathways, channels, and feedback loops that affect systems' sustainability over time.

What does the quote by Eva from Metabolic suggest about sustainability?

Eva suggests that sustainability is not about individual objects but about systems as a whole. To design truly sustainable solutions, we must consider the entire system to avoid sub-optimization and negative externalities.

What are the key components of a system model?

A system model includes inputs (resources or energy from the environment), processes (functions performed by the system), and outputs (functional output of value or dysfunctional output like waste).

How does waste impact the sustainability of a system?

If a system produces too much waste or entropy, it can degrade the environment, making the system unsustainable. Over time, the system will no longer be able to access the necessary resources to function and will collapse.

What is the relationship between a system and its environment in terms of sustainability?

Sustainability is about the dynamic relationship between a system and its environment, with a focus on how the system depends on environmental inputs and how waste generation can affect the system's ability to sustain itself.

What happens when a system's environment is degraded?

When a system's environment is degraded, the system cannot access the resources it needs to function, leading to its eventual collapse or unsustainability.

What is an example of a system that has caused environmental degradation?

The industrial agricultural system is an example. While it produces food, it also generates environmental harm like soil degradation and erosion, which over time makes the system unsustainable.

What are negative externalities, and how do they affect sustainability?

Negative externalities are unaccounted costs or harms to the environment caused by a system's activities. These externalities accumulate, degrade the environment, and make the system unsustainable if not addressed.

How can feedback loops help close sustainability gaps?

Feedback loops help close sustainability gaps by accounting for and managing externalities. An example is the response to smoking, where taxes, health warnings, and restrictions helped reduce the societal costs of smoking and created a more sustainable behavior.

What is the importance of systems thinking in sustainability?

Systems thinking is crucial because it helps us understand the complex relationships between systems and their environments, enabling us to design systems that are self-sustaining and avoid environmental degradation.