Systems Approach for Sustainability

There is a growing need to create simplified concepts and solutions within existing complex systems. However, considering that complexity exists across a wide range of disciplines, adopting relevant systems-thinking approaches to practical issues produces a wide range of ideas to drive policy choices. This study adopts the use of relevant complex case studies that present multiple dependencies requiring tact in resolution because they have far-reaching impacts on a host of other systems. A simple framework has, however, been developed using a combination of systems thinking concepts to guide adoption based on specific needs whilst ensuring that sustainable attributes are used as a guide to decision-making. This approach creates actionable insight for stakeholders on problem-solving and reduces knowledge gaps within each system, replicable across disciplines. The best way to develop sustainable solutions within complex systems is to break them down into strategic parts, identify the key stakeholders that impact the solution, get them to adopt a perspective on development, and provide a knowledge bank for reusable knowledge across economies.