Systems Thinking's Role in Solving Sustainability Issues Essay

This essay delves into the critical role of systems thinking in developing solutions to sustainability challenges, emphasizing its importance in addressing global environmental issues. The essay begins by defining systems thinking and its application within organizations, highlighting its focus on understanding interconnectedness rather than isolated events. It then explores how systems thinking can be used to address specific challenges, such as climate change, and the implications of the Paris Climate Agreement. Furthermore, it examines the impact of China's ban on Australia's recycling waste, illustrating how systems thinking can provide solutions for better waste management and sustainable practices. The essay also underscores the need for systems thinking in fostering sustainable practices, promoting the development of new growth standards, and encouraging organizations to adopt a holistic approach to environmental responsibility. Finally, the conclusion reinforces the idea that systems thinking is essential for creating advanced, growth-oriented sustainability practices and emphasizes the importance of a collective approach to achieve global sustainability.

SYSTEMS THINKING IS
CRITICAL IN
DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS
TO SUSTAINABILITY
CHALLENGES

Table of Contents
ESSAY.............................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Today, our world has started facing a lot of environmental challenges due to climate
change and global warming. It has become essential to ensure sustainability within the
organizations to maintain a better environment and overcome the challenges faced. The below
essay identifies the importance of systems thinking in developing solutions of the challenges
faced by sustainability (Systems thinking. 2017). It explores in what manner sustainability can be
raised within organizations from the help of systems thinking and how effectively sustainable
practices can be brought into action within these organizations.
ESSAY
MAIN BODY
The process of understanding in what manner things influence each another within a
whole refers to systems thinking. In a set of organizations, systems consist of processes, people
and structures which work together in order to make the organization both unhealthy and
healthy.
It has been defined as an approach to solve a problem by viewing “problems” as an
overall part of the system, instead of just reacting to a specific event, part or an outcome which
potentially contributes to further development of consequences which were not intended. It is not
just a single thing but a set of practices or habits which are fixed within a framework based on a
belief that the component parts of a system can only be best understood in the context of each
others relationships with other different systems, rather than in isolation . Instead of focusing on
linear, systems thinking focuses on cyclical cause and effects.
Global warming and climate change are one of the core environmental challenges which
organizations across the world are facing today. In order to deal with these challenges it has
become important for the organizations across the world to ensure and maintain sustainability.
Sustainability refers to the process of meeting the needs of the present without risking the ability
of future generation to meet their own needs (Arnold and Wade, 2015). Its concept is composed
of three main pillars which are social, environmental and economic which informally also known
as people, planed and profits.
The issue of sustainability is one of the most and the largest addressed issues across the
world today. It has become essential for sustainability to involve systems thinking in order to
develop required solutions to resolve related problems. Systems thinking is one of the advanced

approach that can identify the causes which the countries and organizations across the world are
facing in order to maintain a strong sustainability practices (Haines, 2016). It will determine the
challenges, the requirements and the basic developments which are required to ensure better
sustainability.
One of the wicked problems being addressed in sustainability is climate change. The
issue of climate change is wicked because there's no means in which anything can be done to
recover the planet from changing climate. The only and the least possible thing which can be
done, is to stop doing those activities which are causing climate change. These activities include
releasing of greenhouse gases (such as methane, carbon dioxide, halo-carbons into the
environment), the human influence which includes activities such as usage of excessive crude
oil, polluting the environment etc. This wicked problem can only be solved by putting systems
thinking into practice within the sustainability practices.
Recently, it has been seen as the countries across the world are adopting measures in
order to deal with the challenges caused by climate change and deal with the scenario. The Paris
Climate Agreement, signed on 22 April 2016, is an agreement which is brought into practice by
the Paris government in order to deal with the mitigation, finance and adaptation of the
greenhouse gas emissions (Dekker, 2016). As of March 2019, 195 members of UNFCCC have
signed the agreement and 185 has become party to it. Its long term goal is to keep the increase in
global average temperature to well below 2 degree Celsius which is above the pre-industrial
levels.
The Paris government in order to identify the challenges faced by the globe in order to
maintain better sustainability, made use of systems thinking. The government of the country set
up teams across the country which started evaluating the change which rising temperature is
bringing into the climate. Systems thinking helped the set teams to understand how climate
change is impacting the overall global environment by considering a complex and dynamic
whole, and from interacting as a functional structured unit. It maintained the flow of information,
material and energy among the different elements which composed the system.
The researchers gathered essential data as in what manner the business, organisations and
the people across the world are causing damage to the climate. It helped France to prepare and
set up a clear agreement with other nations across the world in order to bring sustainability into
practice and ensure that the temperatures are not rising. It explains that it is important for the

organisations and the overall world to allow Systems thinking in being a part of sustainable
practices. Systems thinking can clearly evaluate the impact and bring forth the necessary
solutions of sustainability (Borge, 2016). Along with it, it can ensure that better sustainable
practices are being held across the world.
Another wicked problems which explores of the importance of systems thinking in
sustainability is the recent ban of China on Australia's recycling waste. China in order to ensure
that contaminated items are not entering into the country has implied an import restriction. This
restriction restricts the importation of 24 steams of recyclable materials entering into the country.
This ban has impacted the recycling of Australia on a large scale and the company is
facing difficulties in managing better sustainable practices (China’s recycling ‘ban’ throws
Australia into a very messy waste crisis. 2018). The systems thinking if adopted in this scenario
can help Australia to ensure better sustainable practices. In order to do this, the country can set
up a team to understand that how much waste it is producing. It can help the country to evaluate
the certain aspects of its waste generation and the causes behind it. The systems thinking can
understand what are the core places in which sustainability needs to be ensured and how can the
country solve these problems. It can identify the major places where improvements needs to be
made.
For Australia, the adopted systems thinking can evaluate what are the countries across the
world are doing in order to ensure better recycling practices. This can help the country to make
use of the same practices and continue its recycling without being affected by the restrictions
imposed by china. Systems thinking here can be seen as an essential need for the country
because it can allow the country to find better solutions of waste management and ensuring
better practices of recycling. Along with it, the wider scenario evaluated by the thinking can
allow Australia to develop its products and services accordingly that none of the waste is being
generated within the country to recycle later.
The wicked problem is large because the impact which it has been causing is not to
Australia but other countries which import their products and services to China as well.
Countries such as United States of America, and United Kingdom are one of the major suppliers
of China (Leon and Calvo-Amodio, 2017). These countries' production level are at large, and the
products and services which they supply to China are mostly made of recycled materials. These
restrictions imposed by China is a wicked problem to both of these countries. It is important that

these countries join themselves with Australia to implement systems thinking. This can help in
creating an environment which evaluates the particular needs of a country and tends to create
sustainability solutions for it. Along with it, it can explore the options in which the countries and
organisations across the world can maintain a better and safe environment.
Systems thinking can be a new name for an innate and natural way to relate to the world
around us. It can allow us to think clearly about the wholesome advantage of the world. The
thinking can develop those practices which can become a cause and effect to change the
environment. The major wicked problems today faced by the world can only be put into
sustainability practices with the help of System thinking. Resolving the problems of a specific
place, locality of making a particular organisation better cannot ensure sustainability. Also, it is
not effective by any means to bring sustainability at just one place and make the whole world
clean and green.
Sustainability is a concept of making things possible by creating equanimity of thinking
and mentality, where each and every individual, individual business, or an individual
organisation is responsible in maintaining sustainability practices (Rebs, Brandenburg and
Seuring, 2018). It is only with the help of systems thinking we can make it possible for the world
to develop sustainability which is advance and growth-oriented. The systems thinking is the only
and the essential means of understanding the environment and its core problems in a union. This
union can help the organisations and businesses across the world to gain new environment and
growth prospects in order to achieve and maintain a better sustainability and sustainable
practices all along.
The systems planning can help the organisation in achieving new growth and
development. It can help the organisations and their management across the world to see and
observe things from new perspective (Lane, Munro and Husemann, 2016). The wider
organisations' role can make the world a better place by being more involved and maintaining a
good growth and advantage. Along with it, it can ensure a better and smooth working
environment and practice within the employees. Sustainability needs to evolve as well, because
the current sustainable practices which are being adopted across the world are not enough. The
evolution in sustainability can ensure better growth and development across the world and can
ensure new advancements within the industry. It can help the organisations in gaining new
development prospects to deal with the issue of environment and be more clean and green.

Other aspects which can help the overall scenario of the world in ensuring better
sustainability includes the development of new growth standards. This can be achieved by
systems' planning because systems planning often provides advantages where new growth can be
achieved (Loosemore and Cheung, 2015). Along with it, it creates a certain impact where the
people can observe the changes and can work according to the new environmental practices.
System thinking can be referred to be as an approach to the integration which is based on
the assumption that components of parts system will act differently. It is basically a discipline
which supports an organisation in analysing the need of change. It also supports management in
developing the understanding about the situation unsystematic manner. System thinking supports
management in resolving the complex problems (Stroh, 2015). Business entity which employ
system approach to sustainability quickly gain the deep understanding of interconnectedness of
decisions. In addition to this, it aids management in avoiding unintended consciousnesses and
create significantly more innovative business outcomes. System thinking is considered to be as
ideal; problem solving framework for sustainability.
The environmental issues and system breakdowns require innovative solution. Few
enterprises such as Non- governmental organisation is required to go beyond the symptomatic
solutions for identifying the root cause of the problem which can be easily addressed through
system thinking. An organisation if want to make their significant contribution in resolving the
environmental issues, they ned to find unique way of reducing the waste. System thinking is
required for resolving the different issues ranging from the climate change to deforestation
(Shaked and Schechter, 2017). In context of dealing with the issue of climate change and other
environmental issues an organisation can implement new technologies as well as should
implement new policies.
CONCLUSION
The above essay explores the importance of systems thinking in sustainability. It explains
the effective measures our world is taking in order to ensure better sustainable practices and to
create an environment which is safe and secure. Also, it provides essential explorations about the
recent issues faced by the world in order to ensure a better and sustainable environment and at
what places improvements can be made with the help of systems thinking.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Arnold, R. D. and Wade, J. P., 2015. A definition of systems thinking: a systems
approach. Procedia Computer Science. 44. pp.669-678.
Borge, M., 2016. Response 1: Systems Thinking as a Design Problem. In Reconceptualizing
STEM Education (pp. 82-94). Routledge.
Dekker, S., 2016. Drift into failure: From hunting broken components to understanding complex
systems. CRC Press.
Haines, S., 2016. The systems thinking approach to strategic planning and management. CRC
Press.
Lane, D. C., Munro, E. and Husemann, E., 2016. Blending systems thinking approaches for
organisational analysis: reviewing child protection in England. European Journal of
Operational Research. 251(2). pp.613-623.
Leon, H. C. M. and Calvo-Amodio, J., 2017. Towards lean for sustainability: Understanding the
interrelationships between lean and sustainability from a systems thinking
perspective. Journal of cleaner production.142. pp.4384-4402.
Loosemore, M. and Cheung, E., 2015. Implementing systems thinking to manage risk in public
private partnership projects. International Journal of Project Management. 33(6). pp.1325-
1334.
Rebs, T., Brandenburg, M. and Seuring, S., 2018. System dynamics modeling for sustainable
supply chain management: A literature review and systems thinking approach. Journal of
Cleaner Production.
Shaked, H. and Schechter, C., 2017. Systems thinking among school middle
leaders. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. 45(4). pp.699-718.
Stroh, D. P., 2015. Systems thinking for social change: A practical guide to solving complex
problems, avoiding unintended consequences, and achieving lasting results. Chelsea Green
Publishing.
Online
Systems thinking. 2017. [Online]. Available through: <http://environment-ecology.com/general-
systems-theory/379-systems-thinking.html/>

China’s recycling ‘ban’ throws Australia into a very messy waste crisis. 2018. [Online].
Available through: <https://theconversation.com/chinas-recycling-ban-throws-australia-
into-a-very-messy-waste-crisis-95522/>