The human body is a complex machine. Countless little systems coordinate with one another to ensure our health. And while there are some aspects of the body that can be detached without consequence to the whole, others are crucial.
Hair is a system of the body that can be removed without impacting the functioning of the machine. Though my bald dad may disagree, as far as I can see, he has still remained healthy and operational despite his baldness.
Other organs, on the other hand, are not so easily removed. Think about your liver, or your lungs, your blood, or even your skin. Without any one of these systems, the whole body will suffer, likely to the point of collapse.
Systems in the context of systems thinking and behavioral change refer to interconnected sets of elements that work together to achieve a specific purpose or outcome. These systems can be as simple as a human body or as complex as a global economy.
And understanding systems is crucial.
With systems thinking, it is emphasized that changes in one part of a system can have unintended consequences in other parts. While acknowledging the importance of your bones is obvious, for some reason, the interconnected systems of environmental conservation are often overlooked.
The Systems Iceberg
One of the key mistakes made when thinking about behavior change that the accompanying systems are missing that many of the route causes of a certain problem, are invisible and exist below the surface.
Below is a visual metaphor that illustrates how this works.
Just as the majority of an iceberg is hidden beneath the water's surface, many of the most significant factors contributing to an environmental problem are not immediately apparent.
Here's a breakdown of this analogy:
Visible Problems (Tip of the Iceberg): These are the symptoms or effects of a larger issue. They are the things we can easily see and measure.
Underlying Issues (Middle of the Iceberg): These are the factors that contribute to the visible problems. They may be more difficult to identify, but they are crucial to addressing the root causes.
Deep-Rooted Structures (Bottom of the Iceberg): These are the fundamental beliefs, values, and assumptions that shape the underlying issues. They are often deeply ingrained in society and can be difficult to change.
Example:
If we consider the problem of overfishing, the visible problem might be fishers overfishing fragile fish populations. However, the underlying issues could include economic pressures and inequalities, inadequate regulations, technological advancements, and illegal fishing practices. The deep-rooted structures might be cultural beliefs about fishing, economic systems, and political power dynamics.
To effectively address overfishing, it is essential to consider the interconnectedness of these factors and implement solutions that address both the visible problem and its underlying causes.
When thinking about systems, this iceberg visual is often very helpful as it encourages us to look beyond the surface-level symptoms and identify the deeper, underlying causes of problems.
Systems Thinking In Action
Now that we understand a little more about systems thinking and the importance of recognizing how interconnected many problems are, let's look at real-world examples.
Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam, a massive concrete arch-gravity dam, was constructed during the Great Depression to address the Colorado River's unpredictable floods and provide vital resources to the region.
Not only did the dam help regulate the river’s flow to prevent catastrophic flooding, but it also produced electricity to power millions of people.
To this day it remains a landmark of American engineering achievement.
So, what’s the problem?
The Hoover Dam catastrophically affected the connected environmental systems.
To be fair, it is very likely that the engineers simply could not anticipate what would happen when the dam was built. But it is also possible that when the dam was built, it was treated as an independent system, unaffected and non-disruptive of anything surrounding it.
Firstly, the dam trapped sediment upstream of the Colorado River, depriving downstream ecosystems of essential nutrients, and leading to habitat destruction for numerous plant and animal species.
Historically, the Colorado River would feed into the Gulf of California, in Baja California, Mexico providing irrigation to Mexican farmers and creating a brackish habitat (water that has more salt than fresh water but less salt than seawater) for native fish and plants. But now, because the dam consistently limits the amount of water downstream, the Colorado River often dries up before even reaching the Gulf of California. This both disrupts species that are not accustomed to living in water with a higher salt concentration and creates serious challenges for Mexican farmers.
And finally, the buildup of water behind the Hoover Dam has started evaporating at rapidly high rates due to climate change, decreasing precipitation, increasing demand, and the intense heat of the surrounding area.
In the picture below, the white ring that appears around the Colorado River shows where the water level originally was, 150 feet higher than where it is today.
Just like with the human body, just like with any machine, all of the systems are interconnected. Removing one part will always affect the whole.
Marine Spatial Planning
While the Hoover Dam was an example of what not to do, here is an example of effective systems thinking in action.
Bermuda, a little island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, recently committed to fully protecting 20% of its ocean.
However, that commitment came with its own unique set of challenges.
The fishers of Bermuda, though small in numbers, have a loud voice. And when the government of Bermuda announced its protection goal, they were quick to voice their concerns about how marine protection, specifically in the areas where they fished, would affect their livelihoods.
According to the Waitt Institute, Marine Protected Areas are efficient and proven methods of ocean protection, livelihood preservation, and economic development. They help preserve marine biodiversity, restore habitats, slow down the pace of climate change, support sustainable fisheries, and provide economic benefits and recreational opportunities.
So how would Bermuda balance the desires of their fishers with the importance of marine protection for the longevity of fish populations and habitats?
By using a Marine Spatial Plan. Marine Spatial Planning a process to plan the use and development of marine areas by mapping out different activities and uses in a specific marine area and then determining how those uses can best coexist and be managed sustainably.
In essence, a Marine Spatial Plan incorporates both the needs of the economy, fishers, culture, and ocean users and the needs of the environment to identify Marine Protected Areas that will benefit both people and nature effectively.
Below is a map of Bermuda’s EEZ (exclusive economic zone) with the drafted protected areas within.
In Conclusion
Systems thinking helps us understand the broader context in which behaviors occur, recognizing that individual actions are influenced by social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors.
By examining the system as a whole, we can identify the underlying causes of behaviors rather than just focusing on surface-level symptoms.
Before exploring the 4 pillars of behavior change, it is crucial to understand the purpose and importance of systems thinking as this helps us design interventions that address the entire system, not just individual behaviors, to achieve lasting change.
By considering the interconnectedness of system elements, we can better approach behavior change initiatives and mitigate unintended consequences of interventions to achieve lasting positive change.
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