This week I have really been able to truly understand the real meaning of wicked problems and sustainability and the many effects that each of them have on our society and environment. Coming into this class, I really wasn’t very sure on what sustainability or even a wicked problem was. But now I know that both of them are very critical to our lives today. And how complex a wicked problem actually is; you can’t just go out and find a quick solution like any other problem we face today, and as we face these wicked problems, we have to understand that there might not be a solution at all. It is very hard to pinpoint the exact problem that is causing it, and once you solve one part of the problem, another one shows up. Like we see in the 11th hour, the population is growing so fast that food is being demanded faster than we can produce it, so we have to genetically modify our food, causing the nutrients to be stripped aways so we aren’t getting the nutrients we need to be healthy and survive. And when you are facing a wicked problem, all effects are irreversible; and all wicked problems are URGENT! I think that natives of Easter Island definitely figured this out for us.
As I read the book about Easter Island I realized how dangerous these problems can actually be. The people of Easter Island were so caught up in being the most advanced in the society that they competed in everything, especially building these statues that they used to show respect and worship to their religions. But by doing this, they caused war, deforestation, and because of the lack of animals and farming land, they even cause cannibalism.
In the 11th hour we see the same aspects in the world today as we read in the passage about Easter Island. In today’s society we face climate change, deforestation, fossil fuel use, pollution, and maltreatment of the ocean and so many other wicked problems that we face today. I think that if we can put aside our differences and work together, we can potentially deal with and possibly even resolve some of the major issues that we face. We need to reduce the use of fossil fuels, manage how we use our water, be mindful of the resources we use and how they we effect the environment after we are done with them, and just focus of the quality of life, instead of worrying about money and power. Today we live in a very advanced society, but so did the people of Easter Island for their time period, and if they can’t escape the effects of a wicked problem, neither can we. But if we be more mindful about how we treat our planet, we could make this world a better place.
Blog Administrator
Contact
For more information contact cosette.armstrong@okstate.edu.-
Recent Posts
- The Poor Stuff
- Contentment and Waste Reduction
- Energy to Change the World
- Paper or Plastic?
- The Future Can Be Post Disposable
- Individual Actions Becoming that of the Whole
- ‘Lettuce’ Make Some Changes!!!
- Significant Observations of Past, Present, and Future
- Consume less and Create more!
- Win-Win Solutions in Sustainability
Archives
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- June 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012