Regulatory Context and Counterfactual Assumptions - Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Regulatory Context and Counterfactual Assumptions. Answer: Introduction System is indicative of separate parts that are interrelated to each other and which works towards reaching a common goal. Systems thinking can prove to be useful in dealing with problems relating to sustainability as it helps to look at things from a macroscopic viewpoint as compared to that of a short picture. Systems thinking has been made use of by academicians along with practitioners to resolve issues relating to sustainability.Sustainability is the unique property pertaining to the biological systems and it is characterized by pursuit of common ideal. Healthy ecosystem is necessary for the survival of the organisms on earth. The specific term, sustainability refers to the target of humanity to reach a state of human- ecosystem equilibrium (Haines 2016). This essay talks about deforestation which is a problem in Australia and how systems thinking can help in developing solution to that of sustainability development challenge. Australia is the sixth largest country in the world and it can be said to be one of the developed countries. It is known for the harsh climates along with that of poor soil fertility but the social success of the place are on account of the sound environmental policies. The sound environmental policies have helped in preventing large-scale disaster. It has been suggested that habitat loss through that of vegetation clearing is an important driver pertaining to decline in population. The highest clearance rates are in those areas where the soil was suited to that of agriculture which was generally in the coastal area (Molderez and Ceulemans 2018). The forests in South Australia were mostly cleared during that of early 20th century. The woody vegetation of Australia is an important carbon store that can help in removing gas house emissions. With the growth of vegetation, carbon can be sequestered in that of the plant tissue that can result in reduced level of that of carbondioxide. It has been found that the forest soil of Australia can store around 44 billion tonne of that of carbon dioxide that represents 80 times of the annual emission of that of Australia (Millon 2015). The clearing of trees paves the path for releasing of large amount of greenhouse gas into that of the atmosphere. Deforestation takes place in Australia owing to various reasons like for development of infrastructure and for that of housing development. According to me, systems thinking can help in dealing with the environmental related challenges. There is significant difference between that of the traditional thinking approach and that of system thinking approach. The world had moved towards the era of globalization. The world has to face several complexities in the coming years and system thinking can be of immense help for developing solutions to that of sustainability challenges (Princiotta and Loughlin 2014). The different organizations can make a meaningful impact by introducing the policy of zero deforestation that can help in cleaning up the supply chain.The suppliers should be held accountable for producing different kinds of commodities like timber along with paper (Barlow et al. 2016). The non-recycled products that are bought by the company should help in ensuring that the virgin fiber that has been used is certified by that of third party certification. Sustainability challenges are also known as adaptive challenges as the protocols that have already been established cannot be applied to the particular situation. However, it can also be stated that no unified approach exists that can help in dealing with the sustainability challenge (Burns, Kick and Davis 2015). System thinking can prove to be of immense help in changing the mental models that can help in dealing with the problems related to sustainability. It comprises of technologies along with skills that can help in removal of a problem. Sustainability challenges require innovative thinking on the part of the environmentalists and it will need innovative research methods to resolve the problems. Systemic thinking can prove to be of great help in resolving the issue of deforestation that exists in Australia. Forests play an important role in relation to ecological role and it can help in cooling the surface of the earth and regulate that of rainfall pattern. Report on that of forest preservation has stated that government along with business invests far more in the sector of agriculture as compared to that of reforestation. It has been found that around $ 777billion were spent on land development whereas only $ 20 billion was spent on that of reforestation (Evans 2016). It will need 10 times more than that of $ 20 billion to create a deforestation free economy (Murray et al. 2015). This however does not indicate that ten times more amount has to be raised. Redirecting the existing financial flow can prove to be of gre at help in dealing with the challenge of deforestation. A perception exists that deforestation is necessary for that of economic development and it is no different from the perception that fossil fuel is required for that of economic development. It is of crucial importance that economic development is decoupled from that of deforestation. This will need a shift in attitude along with that of appreciation of that of natural ecosystem. Law enforcement along with opportunities in relation to economic development can help in dealing with deforestation (Aoc.org.au 2018). A systemic thinking that can help in protecting the forests is that of putting a price on that of carbon. The solutions in relation to saving the forests are economic in nature (Reis and Guzmn 2015). Policies pertaining to putting a price on carbon can help in the creation of economic incentives that can help in preserving the forests. The incentives running in the opposite direction leads to the disappearance of the forests. The right kind of policies can help in spurring ec onomic growth that can increase the agricultural output and stop deforestation. Climate related goals cannot be achieved without reversing that of forest loss. There was little amount of planning at the initial stages however the preservation of the natural ecosystems can help in providing solutions to that of environmentally related challenges. Forests should be put under some kind of protection that can help in protecting them. It has been found that the tropical forests are mostly protected in Australia and no clearing can be noticed in these regions (Evans 2016). It has been seen that deforestation occur before that of protection that suggests that many extinctions will occur in the coming years unless great amount of effort is made in restoring the vast areas. Shifts in relation to environmental policy can help in the process of conservation of forests. There are some arguments that oppose that of system thinking approach. Experts have suggested that the system can help in solving wicked problems and on the other hand there are some researchers who have argued by saying that system thinking cannot work if all the components parts do no t work together (Pavlacky Jr, Possingham and Goldizen 2015). Systems thinking deals with the interaction between that of different elements and it is not possible for a vast system like that of environment to work along uniform lines. Systems thinking is more suited to that of organizational along with social learning. The different stakeholders related to environment management has to contribute equally for dealing with the issue related to deforestation. There are different kinds of interest groups and inter-dependency in relation to globalized society means that there should be co-operation at different levels for the plan to succeed (Mahmood, Pielke Sr and McAlpine 2016). Stakeholder pressure leads to the divergence between the objectives of different institutions and the actual implementation of their policies. The clashing of the ideologies of that of different interest groups leads to a problem that proves to be a hindrance for the implementation of different policies related to that of environment. Influence of that of stakeholder groups for adopting effective management practice often goes against the interests of media along with that of other political interests that does not allow the successful implementation of the environmental policies (Theguardian.com 2018). Scientific evidence has shown that pace of that of global warming or the issue of toxic material in that of the food chain will necessitate the changes of different factors. Stakeholders have been responsible for the risks related to environment either because of the fact that they have caused it or due to the fact that it is their duty to manage the risks related to deforestation (Reside et al. 2017). The stakes of different interest groups are different and the private interests of individuals seem to take a precedence ove r that of the public interest. The different stakeholders involved in relation to deforestation are that of small scale farmer, large scale farmer, firewood collector, timber trader, charcoal maker and livestock keeper. It is generally held that agriculture acts as the dominant driver in relation to deforestation. Shifting cultivation is practiced in the areas and in order to secure new land the farmers take resort to deforestation. Bush fire is another incident that can lead to forest degradation. The pastoralists have a notion that the burning of grass can encourage the regeneration of that of fresh grass (Woodward et al. 2014). This leads them to engage themselves in the practice of clearing of forests. Pattern pertaining to forest degradation and the low forest cover suggests that major shifts in relation to environmental policy is imperative at this stage. The usual attitude of the business can prove to be insufficient in dealing with deforestation. Adoption of sustainable approach will require that of new skills along with capabilities. Co-ordinating mechanisms are of crucial importance in resolving the problems related to deforestation (Sonter et al. 2017). It is important for the government to develop innovative manner of thinking that can help in the development of economic strategy along with that of infrastructure planning. It will prove to be difficult to resolve problems with the help of systems thinking on account of lack of information pertaining to land use along with that of rights. The rules in relation to land use are unclear and ambiguous. The different authorities make use of different kinds of maps in order to delimit that of land-management units (Bristow et al. 2016). It can prove to be difficult to obtain information regarding land cover. New remote sensing technology have been developed in the recent years but it proves to be difficult to obtain sufficient information at that of the operational level. Conclusion: Systems thinking can help in providing insights relating to sustainability problems and it helps in looking at things from a broader view. Globalization makes the world face severe complexities and systems thinking can help in solving the important issues to a large extent. It can however also be said that there exists no unified rule that can help in the process of providing solutions to that of environmental problems. Systems thinking can help to a great extent in developing solutions to that of environmental challenges and the law enforcement agencies can provide crucial support for dealing with the challenge. Forests have an important role to play for cooling the earth and regulation of the pattern of rainfall. Putting price on carbon can help in the process of preservation of the forests. The different policies can lead to economic incentives that can play a crucial role for saving the forests. It has however also been deduced that the different ideologies prevailing in the soci ety has led to the developing of various policies that does not work along uniform lines. The different stakeholder groups work for their own benefit and the leading role played by the media in the present age does not allow the implementation of policies related to environment. The stakeholders in relation to deforestation are that of farmer, livestock keeper and that of firewood collector. It is primarily agriculture that augments the process of deforestation. Shifting cultivation is carried out in different areas and the farmers carry out deforestation in order to get new land. New skills and capabilities are needed in order to deal with the issue of deforestation. Co-ordinating mechanisms can be of great help to provide solutions to the sustainability problems. The government should focus on innovative manner pertaining to thinking that can help in developing economy strategy and that of infrastructure planning. The dearth of information in relation to land use can prove to be a barrier in solving the process of deforestation. 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