It’s not just the climate that needs fixing

IF 1.7 3区工程技术 Q3 ENGINEERING, CIVIL

Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems Pub Date : 2022-07-03 DOI:10.1080/10286608.2022.2093348

J. Side

{"title":"It’s not just the climate that needs fixing","authors":"J. Side","doi":"10.1080/10286608.2022.2093348","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In a world which is ‘hanging by a thread', or conversely ‘teetering on the brink', where ‘humanity stands at the precipice', systems thinking can offer clarity when confronted with the unwitting distraction of cliché riddled aphorisms. By the examination of the earth system, its externalities in relation to economic development and perspectives of our relationship to the global commons within the economy, within government and within the established literature, a series of propositions are developed. Some are used subsequently to offer explanation of current approaches to climate change; others highlight the obvious importance of systems thinking to the engineering professions. Finally, in a brief discussion, these propositions are used syllogistically to suggest that rationalism and universal self-interest will avoid irreversible climate change and its associated environmental apocalypse. Conflicting interests and self-interest, inter alia, within the global system of production and development suggest that the achievement of basic human rights and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, however rational and well supported, will prove rather more intractable.","PeriodicalId":50689,"journal":{"name":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2022-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10286608.2022.2093348","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, CIVIL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 1

Abstract

ABSTRACT In a world which is ‘hanging by a thread', or conversely ‘teetering on the brink', where ‘humanity stands at the precipice', systems thinking can offer clarity when confronted with the unwitting distraction of cliché riddled aphorisms. By the examination of the earth system, its externalities in relation to economic development and perspectives of our relationship to the global commons within the economy, within government and within the established literature, a series of propositions are developed. Some are used subsequently to offer explanation of current approaches to climate change; others highlight the obvious importance of systems thinking to the engineering professions. Finally, in a brief discussion, these propositions are used syllogistically to suggest that rationalism and universal self-interest will avoid irreversible climate change and its associated environmental apocalypse. Conflicting interests and self-interest, inter alia, within the global system of production and development suggest that the achievement of basic human rights and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, however rational and well supported, will prove rather more intractable.

查看原文本刊更多论文

需要解决的不仅仅是气候问题

在一个“悬在一线”的世界，或者反过来说，“在边缘摇摇欲坠”的世界，在“人类站在悬崖边”的世界里，系统思考可以在面对陈词滥调充斥的格言的无意识分心时提供清晰的思路。通过对地球系统及其与经济发展相关的外部性的研究，以及我们在经济、政府和现有文献中与全球公域关系的观点，我们提出了一系列命题。其中一些随后被用来解释当前应对气候变化的方法;其他人则强调了系统思维对工程专业的明显重要性。最后，在简短的讨论中，这些命题被三段论地用来表明理性主义和普遍的自利将避免不可逆转的气候变化及其相关的环境灾难。在全球生产和发展体系中，利益和自身利益的冲突，意味着实现基本人权和联合国可持续发展目标，无论多么合理和有充分的支持，都将变得更加棘手。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems 工程技术-工程：土木

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

16.70%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems is devoted to the advancement of systems thinking and systems techniques throughout systems engineering, environmental engineering decision-making, and engineering management. We do this by publishing the practical applications and developments of "hard" and "soft" systems techniques and thinking. Submissions that allow for better analysis of civil engineering and environmental systems might look at: -Civil Engineering optimization -Risk assessment in engineering -Civil engineering decision analysis -System identification in engineering -Civil engineering numerical simulation -Uncertainty modelling in engineering -Qualitative modelling of complex engineering systems