MGMT1281.2A: Climate Change as a Wicked Problem Reflective Report

This report addresses climate change as a wicked problem, highlighting its multidimensional challenges stemming from contradictory information, diverse viewpoints, and ethical issues. It explores the economic and scientific intricacies, including uncertainties and disagreements. The report references five constraints for tackling such problems: pragmatism, multiplicity, engagement, compartmentalization, and incentives. It discusses the economic considerations of climate change, such as mitigation efforts and the cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, considering the impact on both developed and developing countries. The analysis emphasizes the difficulties in achieving global consensus and the need for a comprehensive approach to address this complex issue, referencing key academic literature to support the arguments.

Running head: CLIMATE CHANGE AS A WICKED PROBLEM
CLIMATE CHANGE AS A WICKED PROBLEM
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CLIMATE CHANGE AS A WICKED PROBLEM
The change in climate is a wicked problem because it is the a vital and significant
matter that in turn produce an abundant economic and scientific intricacy along with some
deep uncertainties, lack on agreement about the type of problems and even some deep ethical
issues. In some cases economists thinks about the involved tradeoffs on the other hand the
ecologists speaks about the ideas that drives us toward the cliff; near its end (edge). As for
me, I think that both the views of the economists along with that of the ecologists are right
and precise in its own way. The problem is, how to resolve these views (to that of the
Economist and ecologists), if possible (Incropera, 2016).
Wicket problems are simply multidimensional challenge that are very hard to resolve
because of various reasons. It can be due to presence of contradictory or rather insufficient
information and different view on a particular type of problem. These type problems often
gets mixed up with the other similar types of issues and can only the understood when their
effects becomes a major one. Let us take the decades of work into consideration; throughout
the decades the main work went into figuring the priorities and moving forward on climatic
issues. Overall, five constraints may seem relevant while approaching global wicked
problems. They are pragmatism, multiplicity, engagement, compartmentalization and
incentives (Termeer et al., 2016). Application of all these five constraints cannot lead to any
type of resolution for wicked problem in a direct manner; but rather it is a method (process)
for planning various actions, facilitating new types of reassessment cycles and avoiding
stalemates (draws and deadlocks).
The change in climate is a type of issue that grants great economic and scientific
difficulties; some are very deep ethical issues, some are profound uncertainties and some
even lack in the agreement to what the actual problem is (Sun & Yang, 2016).

2CLIMATE CHANGE AS A WICKED PROBLEM
Some people might think that there is a need of containing worldwide emissions due
to needs of energy consumptions in developing countries. However, the supplementary cost
needed, for getting greenhouse-gas emission will hinge on three aspects; the implementation
timing of the mitigation efforts (rise of cost with the increase in delay), ambitiousness of the
targets and in the end availability of the low carbon technology. With additional increase in
the availability of cost-competitive nuclear, renewable and other types of low-carbon energy,
it is enough to achieve a two degree Celsius situation, which could in turn lead to additional
collective consumption rates several percent lower than that of the normal situation. In other
words, the cost gathered on the country will be noteworthy (major) however the returns of the
same (cost) will be not. Moreover the mitigation effort stays a in a bit of an issue for high and
mid-tier level income countries; it in turn accounts for the countless mainstream global
emissions. On the other hand, the low-income countries has to cope-up with the rise in basic
living standards (Perry, 2016).
Due to all these reasons, I think that it is a wicked problem to change climate
according to our wishes.

3CLIMATE CHANGE AS A WICKED PROBLEM
Reference
Incropera, F. P. (2016). Climate change: a wicked problem: complexity and uncertainty at
the intersection of science, economics, politics, and human behavior. Cambridge
University Press.
Perry, J. (2015). Climate change adaptation in the world's best places: A wicked problem in
need of immediate attention. Landscape and Urban Planning, 133, 1-11.
Sun, J., & Yang, K. (2016). The wicked problem of climate change: A new approach based
on social mess and fragmentation. Sustainability, 8(12), 1312.
Termeer, C. J. A. M., Dewulf, A., Karlsson-Vinkhuyzen, S. I., Vink, M., & Van Vliet, M.
(2016). Coping with the wicked problem of climate adaptation across scales: The Five
R Governance Capabilities. Landscape and Urban Planning, 154, 11-19.