Systems Thinking for Sustainability Challenges: China's Ban on Australia's Recycling Waste

Running head: CHINA’S BAN ON AUSTRALIA’S RECYCLING WASTE
Systems thinking are Critical in Developing Solutions to Sustainability Challenges (China's Ban
on Australia's Recycling Waste)
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1CHINA’S BAN ON AUSTRALIA’S RECYCLING WASTE
Introduction
Sustainability is understood as the capacity of biological systems for being able to remain
productive and diverse in the long term. The major principle for the sustainability process serves
as the agenda for sustainable development that includes several interconnected aspects such as
culture, economics, politics and ecology. In order to develop solutions related with sustainability
challenges there is an increased need for changing from the conventional manner of thinking
along with enhancing the existing mental models. In this case systems thinking come in a model
that can facilitate in developing necessary solutions for sustainability challenges. Systems
thinking is considered to be an interdisciplinary approach employed in analyzing the
interrelationships for observing several patterns of change rather than certain static snapshots
(Allan 2018). Although this is observed to be an old concept, it is regarded as a new thinking
approach for analyzing and managing the existing complex issues locally and internationally.
The wicked problem analyzed in this essay is that the Australia’s recycling industry is
observed to be in crisis as China is observed to effectively close its borders to foreign recycling.
The objective of the essay is to analyze the ways in which systems thinking is considered to be
important in developing relevant solutions to deal with the sustainability challenges. Moreover,
in analyzing such statement the case of China’s ban on the Australia’s recycling waste will be
analyzed in the essay so that relevant recommendations can be offered on suitable
implementation of systems thinking approach.

2CHINA’S BAN ON AUSTRALIA’S RECYCLING WASTE
Discussion
In ensuring sustainability systems thinking is applied to the wicked issues in order to
generate a near possible solution for them. Such wicked issues require solutions those are highly
convincing than the ones those are offered in traditional ways. In observing the case of China’s
ban on the recycling waste of Australia it has been analyzed that systems thinking sustainability
approach can be implemented in revealing solutions to recognized issues. Bainbridge (2018)
confirmed that can be carried out in implementing the systems thinking methods that can capture
the macro elements along with analyzing all other interrelations among factors those cause them.
China’s decision to impose ban on the foreign recycling waste puts Australia in an extremely
messy waste crisis. In dealing with such wicked problem certain emergency measures have been
considered that includes land filling, stockpiling along with attempting to find another global
destination for Australia’s recycling. However, none of them are observed to provide sustainable
long term solutions. Clark (2018) shared a view in that in dealing with such wicked problem
sustainably through systems thinking approach there is a need for a mix of short and long term
planning. This indicates that taking a wider approach rather than the strategies confirmed by the
state along with the federal government ministers.
Through implementing systems thinking a wide range of potential strategies have been
revealed in dealing with such wicked problem indicated in the diagram below:

3CHINA’S BAN ON AUSTRALIA’S RECYCLING WASTE
Figure 1: Comprehensive Solution’s to the China’s crisis and Beyond
(Source: Dias, Bernardes and Huda 2019)
In addition to the proposed sustainability plan, the systems thinking approach also
indicates that the waste management is planned around the ”Waste hierarchy” indicated in the
figure below. This hierarchy offers several options in dealing with the waste in the order from
most to the least preferable for sustainability (Herat and Panikkar 2019). In order to maintain this
sustainability strategy to be effective, the government’s strategies requires following the
mentioned hierarchy. This indicates that waste strategies must also prioritize decreasing,
avoiding, reusing, before recycling, and energy recovery along with final disposal within landfill
as a last strategy.