This Working Group focuses on the planetary health pillar of Systems Thinking and Complexity.
The group is currently working to expand the below statement, which summarises the pillar and its relationship with AMR, into a longer policy brief.
This Working Group is open to new members – please email CLIMAR.Network@exeter.ac.uk to join.
Complex Adaptive Systems thinking identifies all elements of any given phenomenon, as well as the various interactions between these elements that can result in the emergence of new elements and processes, particularly for dynamic systems that experience ongoing adaptations. Complex and intractable challenges necessitate complex adaptive systems thinking, particularly when examining climate change and AMR, both separately and jointly. According to Iyer et al., systems thinking ‘organises the understanding of complex systems through four dimensions: distinctions, systems, relationships, and perspectives. In this framework, distinctions refer to how elements in a system have identities and can be grouped by what they are not, systems refer to elements that may be parts or a whole, relationships refers to associations between elements and their causal ordering, and perspectives refers to the viewpoint from which elements are analysed’ [1]. Systems Thinking and Complexity is a central component of the planetary health model that is essential to ‘characterise the linkages between environmental changes and human health at different geospatial and temporal scales [2]. Complex systems analysis can be identified throughout the Planetary Health Framework, particularly in terms of: a) the interdependence of environmental, social, cultural, and other factors; b) the spatial and temporal scales and levels of analysis required; c) Feedback loops inherent in environmental processes; and d) the transdisciplinarity and cross-disciplinary ‘language’ essential to provide a full understanding of the factors and the methods to redress these complex challenges. [3] Systems thinking in a planetary health framework helps identify key relationships between the different types of factors; provides an understanding of cascading effects between different parts of a system; and fosters holistic solutions that can identify root causes and locations for intervention [4].