System Thinking in Developing Solutions to Sustainability Challenges

This essay critically examines the role of system thinking in developing solutions to complex sustainability challenges, with a specific focus on the Australian context and the transition to renewable energy sources. It argues that traditional approaches are insufficient for addressing 'wicked problems' like environmental pollution and global warming, highlighting the interconnectedness of ecological, economic, and cultural components. The essay emphasizes the importance of understanding the underlying causes and effects within systems to create effective strategies, particularly in increasing the proportion of renewable energy in Australia's energy mix. It also explores how system thinking can help diagnose problems, implement solutions, and foster resilience in the face of environmental stressors, while also emphasizing the need for collaborative leadership and policy changes to drive sustainable development. The conclusion reinforces the critical role of system thinking in building effective strategies for sustainability.

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System thinking is Critical in Developing Solutions to Sustainability Challenges
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System thinking is Critical in Developing Solutions to Sustainability Challenges
Sustainability is the limit of natural frameworks to have the capacity to bear and stay
productive as well as diverse over a long period of time (Rittel and Webber 2013, p. 12). The
main procedure for sustainability process is to plan for reasonable development that is
interconnected with ecology, political economics and culture parts. There are various problems
that have existed in the quest for fulfilment of sustainability development. Such kinds of
problems have been regarded by scholars as wicked problems. This is because they cannot be
characterized completely and do not have final solutions. The wicked problems have constant
changing needs making them difficult to solve. (Beinecke 2009, p. 25). Wicked problems are
henceforth an arrangement of unique challenges viewed as manifestations of different problems.
For people to able to create solutions to sustainability challenges, it is needed for them to
transform from the traditional state of mind and enhance mental models. It is at this point where
system thinking is helpful in providing solutions for sustainability challenges.
As Nguyen and Bosch (2012, 18) indicate, System thinking is a system of many
disciplines used to picture the different pattern interrelationships for s progress instead of static
snapshots. As much as system thinking is an old concept (Sterman 2014, p.29), it is seen as a
suitable approach for thinking to understand as well as tackle the current diverse problem locally
as well as globally. It is a technique in which development organizers conceptualize and act
towards the orderly coordination of socio-environmental and monetary components of
sustainability. The methodology encourages management complexities provision with respect to
different strategies. It also includes viewing the whole picture and comprehending the extensive
setting recognizing associations in different levels. The importance of the research indicates that

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no wicked problem exist in isolation but it is part the large system with interconnected systems
and system thinking approach is useful in building up appropriate solutions for such issues.
It is significant that one cannot comprehend the greatness and conduct of a framework by just
looking at a couple of parts of the system. This article assesses the role of system thinking in
local and worldwide sustainability challenges. Likewise, consideration ought to be drawn on one
of the wicked problem notably increasing the renewable energy in the energy mix of Australia. I
firmly concur with the explanation that ‘systems thinking is critical in developing solutions to
sustainability challenges,’ in light of the fact that the methodology includes a proficient
technique to address issues. According to Martin (2011, p. 37), a system thinker commits himself
or herself to see beyond the microscopic details of the problem through its real advances, for
example, diagnosing the issue to perceive how it can be solved and executing solutions with
known outcomes. In this exposition, specific consideration will be attracted to the wicked
problem of expanding the extent of the sustainable power source in Australia's energy mix while
attempting to look at the usefulness of system thinking in providing a solution to the issue.
As indicated by system thinking, managing the insidious problem of sustainability like a
sustainable power source requires two huge components. Making more noteworthy framework
versatility for the indigenous habitat and thus assessing administration with the goal that it is
suitable for dealing with the complexities of all the collective methodologies (Marshak 2012,
p.79). As opposed to the traditional mind-set, system thinking puts emphasis on the reason for
the cause and impacts in frameworks and how they are commonly reliant on one another. The
methodology will subsequently enable us to get a top to bottom perception of the causality in
certifiable systems and settling the sustainability issue by further understanding the fiendish issue
system elements (Higgins and Reddy 2010, p. 37). The proposition of this paper centres on the

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utilization of system thinking approach to guarantee sustainable power source increment in
Australia's energy mix. Sustainable advancement endeavours to join its three sections in
equalization. In any case, need is given to two of its angles, for example, the economy and the
earth (Campbell, 2016, p. 57). The treacherous issue of non-sustainable power source
contamination lies under the ecological piece of manageability. Ecological supportability is
where the systems organic and common nearness is preferably ensured. The common habitat is
the one in charge of the working of the human frameworks and its role is crucial.
It is worth noting that the government of Australia need to diagnose the problem of
energy in order to deal with it accordingly. To start with, the use of non-renewable energy has
been regarded to be the main cause of global warming. The burning of the fossil fuel emits
greenhouse gas which when released to the atmosphere accumulate and cause a greenhouse
effect that eventually results in global warming. Global warming is associated with climate
change that causes sea level rise, salinization of oceans and desertification. The features of
systems are that all parts must be present, and need a particular purpose and (Checkland 2010,
p.48). Following the increase of renewable energy in Australia’s energy mix, sustainable venture
openings are stretching out past the discount power market and this has made organizations to
esteem the financial advantages and green profile of sustainable power source supply contracts.
Sustainable power source engineers are likewise very much aware of these projections and they
trust that practically no money related help is required for tasks to be aggressive. Extensive scale
wind and sun oriented undertaking movement have driven interest in Australia up to 150 percent
to a record 9 billion dollars in 2017. There is increasing evidence that the use of fossil fuel for
energy production poses a great danger and may cause serious problems to the human being as
well as the environment through global warming (Tashakkori and Teddlie 2010, p. 18).

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Therefore, the well-being of the environment and people majorly depend on the use of clean
energy. It is through system thinking that people should be able to examine and identify the
factors that contribute to these wicked problems. The approach will enable people to establish
the relationship between energy and global warming and how bad the effect of fossil fuel
pollution can affect us. Therefore, system thinking is essential in coming up with solutions to
sustainability challenges. Increasing the proportion of renewable energy mix in Australia will
minimize environmental pollution of fossil fuel; create other opportunities as well as putting
downward pressure on electricity prices.
The principal focus of system thinking is to help in the problem solving and selective
comprehension of the diverse real-world frameworks such as the increasing the extent of the
sustainable power source in Australia's energy. By concentrating on the issue, transient solutions
can easily be created (Holling, 2013, p.18). Distinctive undertakings have been made to have the
ability to control the danger caused by petroleum derivative. Various states and even general
bodies have passed enactment that controls the pollution of non-renewable energy source. For
instance, the US concocted laws that deny excessive use of non-renewable energy sources such
as coal and the enforcement is strict regardless of the difficulties in observing (Hoesli, Lekander
and Witkiewicz 2004, p.56). The ability to picture the structure of the fiendish issue prompts the
utilization of passing answers which with respect to manageable power source gives us an idea
of how we can enhance the circumstance to ensure a sustainable energy mix is expanded in
Australia. All this points out to the effort of making more prominent systems that are resilient to
the natural environment. in this circumstance is the limit of a characteristic natural network like
the one depicted here and can adjust up to changes without damage. Updating the structure
adaptability upgrades the general thriving of a framework and its ability to ricochet once again

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from stressors. That demonstrates that framework believing is urgent in making answers for
sustainability challenges.
Decision makers in the society depend upon the creation of more compelling mental
models so as to get a handle on the interrelations of parts in the framework and how they impact
people whether straightforwardly or in a roundabout way. The survival of the human instinct is
reliant on the ceaseless advancement of system thinking (Kim 2016, p. 186). In any case, it is
hard to find out about the intricate frameworks while living in them in the meantime. Framework
believing is tied in moving a stage from the framework and seeing it from the perspective of an
untouchable. People have no generally yet they need to re-evaluate their drive so it is most
suitable to pick the imperative complexities of collective methodologies to deal with (Stock and
Watson 2013, p.99). It is challenging to discover instruments and procedures that can assist us in
constructing better strategies and guide society towards a shared objective of expanding the
extent of the sustainable power source in Australia's energy.
In addition, improving the system strength expands the general multifaceted nature of the
framework, and thus prompting the requirement for effective coordination, understanding and
great leadership development in the different associations of stakeholders. The requirement for
the cooperation of the organization additionally increases, since they both have a shared
objective of expanding the extent of the sustainable power source in Australia's energy mix and
consequently new difficulties to the leaders (Jackson 2009, p.15). Authoritarian leadership is less
inclined to be productive in such instances of cooperative unbounded frameworks. An scenario
of such a structure is grasped by the United Nations Organization. Adequacy is accomplished by
a collaborative style of initiative that is more open, demand-based and connects with most of the
partners (Elias 2008, p.247). Great leaders are required to work proficiently, especially on issues

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to do with the long haul appropriateness of human advancement in the perspective of feasible
difficulties. Every one of these components is considered in the framework thinking approach
not at all like in the standard criteria. In this way, the facts confirm that structures considering are
a basic instrument in creating solutions for sustainability challenges.
To conclude, it is profoundly certain that sustainability challenges faced by mankind
today are so hard to manage because of their unpredictability. It is additionally evident that
neither single associations nor single organizations can be ideal in taking care of such issues.
That calls for system thinking that encourages versatility and great authority in attempting to
sustainability issues. Policymakers ought to make enactment that can impact positive change in
the general public since that is the main simple approach to sustainability. Leaders need to act
with an astuteness that incorporates genuine systems understanding, moral creative energy and
general sensibility. Significant financing associations, governments and different organizations
ought to be urged to subsidize programs that can grow new gifted pioneers who comprehend the
system elements and have the capacity to increase the extent of the sustainable power source in
Australia's energy mix. With the frameworks thinking foundation, data about sustainable power
source issues and the associations with the different parts of Australia's energy mix can be
synchronized. It is along these lines as expressed in the article that I concur with the statement
‘system thinking is critical in developing solutions to sustainability challenges.’

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