III                   S U M M A R Y   /  C O N C L U S I O N

SUMMARY

Synopsis:

            This report aimed at presenting the outcome of the year-long LinkedIn/ Systems Thinking World discussion on the call for 'revolutionary thinking and action to ensure an economic model for survival'.  It cannot possibly give a fully comprehensive account of all the material researched by the participants and the ideas and opinions developed. The discussion also could not, for valid reasons stated above, develop a definitive 'systems' model as the answer to that call, ready to be 'applied' or implemented. The sense of the group was rather one of rejecting 'revolutionary action' (though some innovative ideas were proposed) in favor of an evolutionary development of a more sustainable future, and key elements of its recommendations are steps and programs that support and speed up the process  of that evolution; a process that will have to be  based on wide - global -- participation and discourse.

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Recommendations:

            Many of the group's ideas and suggestions were aimed at agencies and actors other than the UN: individuals, small groups, researchers, (especially systems modeling researchers), industry, governments. For the purpose of a response to the call for thinking and action by the UN Secretary General, the following recommendations are addressed to the UN, to initiate and support actions by other agencies as appropriate.

The following measures are recommended:

[1] The UN should establish a global discourse framework for the discussion, coordination, distribution and translation of information about efforts towards developing a more sustainable future.  This project should invite people and groups who are concerned, with or without justification, about any UN bias or dependence on its main stakeholders and structure, to cooperate in the development of a framework that alleviates such concerns, while being as open as possible to voices from all the world's people. Such a framework  was described in section … with more details  presented in the >>>  Appendix

[2] The UN should publish and distribute a statement encouraging the continuation and startup of new initiatives of projects and activities (small and large, local and global) that pursue more sustainable alternatives to current practice in governance, agriculture, industrial production, trade, education, health care and human and social welfare. It should investigate possibilities not only for supporting such alternatives with information, coordination,  removing legal barriers, but also with funding as appropriate. Examples of such initiatives were presented briefly in section…   sorted by proposals for

- agriculture, gardening, forestry

- water, wastewater management; oceans

- energy

- corporate and government programs for greater energy efficiency and sustainability

etc.;  Selected projects were desrcibed in greater detail in the Apppendix. …

[3] Establishment of a UN program for encouraging the inception of alternative projects, innovation experiments, in areas where existing infrastructure, shelter, etc. has been destroyed through natural or man-made disasters;  areas that therefore require immediate humanitarian aid to save lives but also to reconstruct the infrastructure for provision of food, water, energy, communication, education, health care and governance. To the extent the people in such areas are interested in exploring alternatives for all these systems, the opportunity for establishment of such experiments -- that do not have to overcome the competition and resistance of existing structures -- should be encouraged and actively supported.  (Appendix…)

[4] Existing countries, corporations should be encouraged to continue their efforts towards transformation of current practice towards more sustainable patterns, supported by the global coordination framework suggested in [1]

Examples>>>?

[5]  As part of the framework suggested in [1] above, encourage and coordinate research and development of systems models to improve the understanding of  the systems affected by past and current economic practices, population growth, and climate change etc…  and how proposed policies and actions would impact these systems. This is needed to support and inform the discourse and decision-making about global agreements and standards.

Examples of systems efforts: >>>

Examples of general R&D for the project: 

-     Development  of a forum/platform for the global discourse framework;  including communication, translation, distribution and display of all contributions to the discourse; 

-     Development of techniques for linking the discourse/discussion results (merit of arguments) to the eventual decisions, to achieve greater transparency and make participation more effective;

-   Development of sustainability-oriented measures of performance for private enterprise as well as governments (quality-of life, ecological and social sustainability and thrivability;

-   Further development and improvement of  renewable / sustainable sources of energy and energy use;

-   Development of better controls of power;

-   Development of sanctions to ensure adherence to agreements, laws, treaties etc. that are not dependent on enforcement (coercion) by stronger powers but are automatically triggered by the attempt at violation.

[6]  As part of the framework [1] establish an educational program to educate and empower people in the use of tools to participate in the discourse and application of sustainability principles in their private lives as well as in their groups, companies, societies. For this, educational tools using new communication technology should be developed that can temporarily bypass the existing educational systems (whose transformation would require more time and resources):  games, social networks.

Examples: The argumentative planning and argument assessment game,  (Appendix ….)

System simulation games

Priority / first steps:

The steps and actions listed above already constitute a program that should be pursued with high priority.  Within that list, the establishment of a global discourse and coordination framework might be seen as a necessary condition for the success of any coordinated program. 

The other high-priority recommendation is not a call for a specific action but a general policy:  to encourage and support a wide variety of experiments and initiatives based on different principles, priorities, and subject focus, rather than embarking on large unified programs, project that would have to be imposed and enforced upon different societies from above over their possible objections and concerns.

Conclusion

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The maps below represents an earlier version – based on three priority proposals from the discussion last year, which does not correspond to the text above. It could be either revised entirely, or adapted to the above (edited) priorities by adding and highlighting the high priority items …

Priorities  1

Priorities 2