Systems Thinking for Sustainability

A sustainability framework based on nested adaptive socio-ecological systems is used to analyse historical examples of soil erosion and its implications for food production and security for a growing population. While there are examples of innovation in agriculture to address food availability, there are also cases of inadequate social responses leading to famine. The analysis highlights the value of considering these issues in a framework of linked biophysical and socio-economic systems. The socio-economic system generates management interventions to resolve biophysical limitations such as soil depletion on food production. The socio-economic system is also responsible when there are inadequate social responses. Currently, the biophysical system produces enough food to feed the world population. However, food distribution through the socio-economic system results in increasing numbers of undernourished people. Biophysical system modelling indicates that unless major changes are made to the current world system, overshoot because of resource depletion will lead to system collapse within the 21st century. To develop sustainability strategies, we need to analyse the socio-economic response to this biophysical vulnerability. A socio-ecological analysis also indicates that perspectives based on power relations that govern real-world decision making rather than sustainability interventions to address food security, need to be incorporated.

What is the first documented use of the term, "Systems Thinking"?

Although new historical discoveries can be made, as of this writing, the answer is 1938 in a book entitled, "Interpretations and Misinterpretations of Modern Physics" by Philipp Frank. There are many misconceptions and an abundance of misinformation on Google search of when the term "Systems Thinking" (or "System Thinking") was first used. This publication identifies the first documented use of the term. Note that the first use of the term is not the same as the first discussion of systems, systems, sciences, thinking about systems, complexity, etc. In this article, we are simply looking for the first documented use of the specific term.

Human-Centric Functional Modeling and the Unification of Systems Thinking Approaches

Where systems thinking approachesare often different and sometimes irreconcilable because they are based on the reasoning of one individual or another, Human-Centric Functional Modeling aims to become universal through looking inwards to the way all human beings perceive. HCFM provide a methodology that enables first person observations within each of the senses of the body or within the emotions, mind, or consciousness as functional systems to be represented as forming mathematical spaces that in turn enable all possible systems thinking approaches to be represented.This creates the possibility of comparing all systems thinking approaches to determine which is most “fit” in each context in which it is used, and it radically reduces the barriers to reusing the best components of each approach.