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Summary ANSWERS of ALL of the UATS discussion questions - GEO4-2608.
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- Universiteit Utrecht (UU)
In dit document staan alle tentamen/discussie vragen van UATS uitgewerkt.
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UATS all discussion questions answered.The exam consists of these discussion questions.
1. Provide some questions and answers when you want to analyse/look at a system.
What are the elements within the system + how are these linked and how do these work together?
What is the stock of the system, what (determines the) in and outflow? What external forces determine these
flows? What are the boundaries of a system. What is the purpose of a system?
2. Apply Meadows’ work on a system of your choice.
Meadows work describes what systems are and how they work. So an example of a system: COVID,
deforestation, erosions, sports, nitrogen crisis, housing crisis, etc…
The most important thing from Meadows are the leverage points. So the main question will be: how to use the
leverage points from Meadows in your system? An example from class was the financial system. Whereas
changing the parameters (GDP, taxes etc) is the least effective leverage point (increasing taxes for example)
according to Meadows. Driving a positive feedback loop in this system is better: more education → positive
outcome in jobs → more and better production and work → more eduction.
The list of the leverage points from Meadows can be linked to the Iceberg model. When moving up in the
iceberg model, you are moving up in the Meadows list (to least effective strategy). Example: when someone is
sleeping in class, normally you would send this person out - because you only see the patterns and events (top
of the iceberg) and you do not see the mental models (bottom of the iceberg) - may be this person had a rough
day.
💡 Do not think so simply about things - they might be more complicated (look at the mental models)
3. Explain the importance of the buffer. What are the important criteria for the buffer itself?
A buffer is a large, big, stabilizing stock. When you increase the capacity of he buffer, you are stabilizing the
system. This also means the system will get inflexible when making the stock (and therefore the buffer) too big.
Secondly, these bigger buffers need more maintenance.
Meadows: There is leverage in changing the size of buffers. But buffers are usually physical entities and
therefore not easy to change. Therefore, buffers are not high on the list of leverage points.
4. Explain the importance of the feedback loop in Meadows’ work.
Meadows: With feedback loops - you are moving from the physical part to the information and control part
(where more leverage can be found). A complex system has numerous balancing feedback loops it can bring
into play so it can self-correct under different conditions and impacts. Some systems are not used (only in
emergencies) and we tend to strip these away because they appear to be costly and less useful - examples are
limiting the attention to habitants of endangered species of our own free time. The reinforcing feedback loop is
self-reinforcing - meaning it will drive the systems behavior in 1 direction. Examples are the flu, the birth of
babies, the money on the bank and erosion. A system with an unchecked reinforcing loop ultimately destroys
itself (that is why there are so few of them - because eventually a balancing feedback loop will kick in). For a
leverage point, it I better to reduce the reinforcing loop (slow it down) instead of making the balancing loop more
powerful. An example is the antipoverty programs, whereas you can better intervene in the reinforcing loop so
you can increase the inheritance tax for example.
💡 Intervene in a reinforcing loop and slow in down - instead of increasing the impact of the balancing loop.
5. What are the leverage points that intervene in a system?
UATS all discussion questions answered. 1
, A leverage point is an area where small change can yield large improvements in the system. All 12 from least
effective to most effective: Numbers, Buffers, Stock and flows, Delays, Balancing feedback, Reinforcing
feedback, Information flows, Rules, Self-organization, Changing goals, Changing paradigms, Transcending
paradigms
6. Explain the influence of the system’s goal as a leverage point.
The leverage point of the systems goal is important, since this shifts the focus and changes all things before it:
such as the numbers, feedback loops, stock and flow.
7. What and how are the rules of the system defined and influence the system as a leverage point?
The rules of a system define the scope, the boundaries define the degree of freedom. Rules are high leverage
points and when changing them, it is possible to yield large change in a system.
As we try to restructure rules and understand the changes in our behavior, it is possible to understand the power
of rules. Also, if you want to understand the deepest malfunctions of a system - pay attention to the rules and
who has power over them.
8. How can you apply concepts from the reading material (e.g. The integrated model of Systems Thinking, 3 Great
Systems Thinking Questions, 7 Systems Thinking Competencies, Guidelines for Living in a World of Systems) in your
daily life?
I can look at systems and try to change all of the 12 things. Probably the 1st is easy to change, whereas the last
12th is hardest to change. Systems thinking focusses not only on the events and the patterns, but the
relationship between these events. Understanding these, will create a better overview and understanding of
certain systems and processes. By observing certain events and creating feedback loops of these, it is possible
to understand certain processes better. Example; do I go by car? That will make me conscious about my
sustainability footprint. When I go by bus, that means I have to wake up early.
9. According to Monat and Gannon, there are eight fundamental systems tools. Explain each one of the tools using
an example where you could use them during your career.
(1) Systems archetype, (2) Behavior over time - BOT graphs plot the values of system variables over time, (3)
Causal loop diagrams with feedbacks and delays, where the system behavior is determined by the presence of
reinforcing and balanced processes, (4) Systemigrams, which describe the presence of reinforcing and
balancing processes (5) Stock and flow diagrams, (6) System dynamics which are the analysis of behavior
over time, (7) RCA, root cause analysis, which is aimed at identifying the root causes of problems (8) ISM,
interpretive structural modeling which is a computer-aided interactive learning process that attempts to identify
systemic structures (transforming vague models in well-defined ones).
10. The following graph shows how the inflow and outflow behave for a given system. From that information, draw
the behavior of the stock in the given system.
When starting with zero, this means the stock is not changing. You start with your stock, where the inflow is
higher than the outflow so there is an increase until minute 6. Then it goes down until minute 10. Then it goes up
again.
(11) Meadows (2008) gives a list of “take away” messages for systems (thinking) practitioners. Which are the three
most appealing messages to you and why?
There is a total of 13 take away messages. The ones I think are important are: (10) stay humble, stay a learner:
this means that you understand you w ill never fully understand the system and have to keep learning, (6) make
feedback policies - with the example of the Montreal protocol and the ozone layer, (3) honor and respect
information - with the example of the emissions going down when only showing the information and not even
introducing the policies, (1) get the beat of the system - when not understanding the system, you cannot
intervene in one: so understand the rules (and focus more on those instead of the theories and opinions of
people).
(12) Fisher (2017) concludes that Environmental law is neither a set of magic wants nor a form of crude political
power-plays. Hence, there are no simple solutions in Environmental Law. However, she argues that the nature of
UATS all discussion questions answered. 2
, environmental law is explained by four concepts: i) legal diversity, ii) legal form, iii) legal stability and iv) legal
categorization. Briefly explain each of these concepts.
Legal diversity: all countries have different legal systems - meaning there is legal diversity. Also, the diversity of
the environmental law is a product of the diversity of environmental problems.
The diversity of the law is a product of the diversity of environmental problems.
Legal form: actually, there is no legal form, because there is legal diversity. Therefore, the legal form is a
combination of different legal rules, principles, processes, obligations and rights.
Environmental law does not have a set legal form. However, most environmental law is in the form of
legislation (policies).
Legal stability: referring to an ever-changing law: because environment changes all the time as well.
Law evolves (stable does not mean static).
Legal categorization: This means something is defined in law (endangered breeds or rivers in New-Zealand).
Categorization makes it possible to place problems in categories and tackle it this way.
Environmental legislation creates new legal categories.
(13) What is the difference between Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement? Which instrument seems to have a
better result in decreasing emissions?
The Kyoto protocol was all about blaming and shaming, where only the developed countries participated. This
was a top-down process, where rules were made for lowering the emissions. The Paris agreement was set up
more collaboratively, when focussing on lowering the temperature. Compared to the Kyoto protocol, the Paris
agreement has a COP every year. It was a global agreement, meaning there is no goal for counties specifically.
Both the Kyoto protocol and the Paris agreement were not legally binding. Even though some lawyers would say
so: it is just the way you look at it. What is legally binding? When is it, when not? It is all in your head. It all
depends on the perspective you are looking from.
(14) What does “net-zero greenhouse gas emission entail?
This means emissions are allowed, but they have to be compensated for.
Examples in class, (flax seed) biofuels (release emissions, but take away by growing the biofuels) and planting
trees (as CO2 sinks).
What happens when calculating this: what happens to the emissions that travel to the neighboring countries?
How do you calculate and compensate this?
(15) What is understood by energy/material service? What is its relevance in the energy/material efficiency
discussion?
The energy and material service can be seen as the goal of the product. How this is related to energy and
material efficiency? When you try to improve the efficiency, it is necessary to keep in mind the service of the
product and try not to change this.
Examples: charging the phone with less energy, traveling to the city with less gasoline, need light to study:
natural light can be used as well? how many shorts do you need: just 1 good one, or 10: in different colors?
→ According to Allwood → ‘’Material efficiency means to continue to provide the services delivered by materials,
with reduction in total production of new material.’’
(16) What is -according to Allwood et al. - the core motivation to study material efficiency?
There is a growing population and increasing wealth, demand for material extraction and processing is likely to
double in the next 40 years. The environmental impacts of the required processing will become critical.
UATS all discussion questions answered. 3
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