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Twelve Leverage Points
Author: From Wikipedia
Twelve Leverage Points
The twelve leverage points to intervene in a system were proposed by Donella
Meadows.
Meadows worked in the field of systems analysis and proposed a scale of places
to intervene in a system. To the degree that the observer is within the system,
or "part of it", awareness and manipulation of these levers is an
aspect of self-organization.
When done collaboratively, it can lead to collective intelligence. Her observations
are often cited in energy economics, green economics and human development
theory.
She started with the observation that there are levers, or places within a
complex system (such as a firm, a city, an economy, a living being, an ecosystem,
an ecoregion) where a "small shift in one thing can produce big changes
in everything" (compare: constraint in the sense of theory of constraints).
She claimed we not only need to realize the existence of these shifts (or
leverage points) but also to know where they are and how to use them. According
to her, most people know where these points are instinctively, but tend to
adjust them in the wrong direction. The understanding of these leverage points
would be powerful information to solve major global problems such as unemployment,
hunger, economic stagnation, pollution, resources depletion, and conservation
issues.
After Donella Meadows developed an initial nine points list of places to intervene
during a meeting, she detailed a twelve leverage points list with further explanation
and examples, for systems in general.
She describes a system as being in a certain state, and containing a stock,
with inflows (amounts coming into the system) and outflows (amounts going out
of the system). At a given time, the system is in a certain perceived state.
There may also be a goal for the system to be in a certain state. The difference
between the current state and the goal is the discrepancy.
For example, one might consider a lake or reservoir, which contains a certain
amount of water. The inflows are the amount of water coming from rivers, rainfall,
drainage from nearby soils, and waste water from a local industrial plant.
The outflows might be the amount of water used up for irrigation of nearby
cornfield, water taken by that local plant to operate as well as the local
camping site, water evaporating in the atmosphere, and trickling surplus water
when the reservoir is full.
Local inhabitants complain about the water level getting low, pollution getting
higher, and the potential effect of hot water release in the lake on life (in
particular, the fish).
This is the difference between the perceived state (pollution or low water
level) and the goal (a non-polluted lake).
Twelve leverage points to intervene in a system (in increasing order of effectiveness)
12. Constants, parameters, numbers (such as subsidies, taxes, standards)
Parameters are points of lowest leverage effects. Though they are the most
clearly perceived among all leverages, they have little effect long term;
they do not usually change behaviors. A widely changing system will not be
made stable by a change of parameter, nor will a stagnant one dramatically
change.
For example, climate parameters may not be changed easily (the amount of rain,
the evapotranspiration rate, the temperature of the water), but they are the
ones people think of first (they remember that in their youth, it was certainly
raining more). These parameters are indeed very important. But even if changed
(improvement of upper river stream to canalize incoming water), they will not
change behavior much (the debit will probably not dramatically increase).
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11. The size of buffers and other stabilizing stocks, relative to their flows
A buffer is a stabilizing stock. The stabilizing buffer is important when the
stock amount is much higher than the potential amount of inflows or outflows.
In the lake, the volume of water in the lake is the buffer: if there's a lot
more of it than inflow/outflow, the system stays stable.
For example, the inhabitants are worried the lake fish might die as a consequence
of hot water release directly in the lake without any previous cooling off.
However, the water in the lake has a large heat capacity, so it's a strong
thermic buffer. Provided the release is done at low enough depth, under the
thermocline, and the lake volume is big enough, the buffering capacity of the
water might prevent any extinction from excess temperature.
Buffers may have great effect to improve a system, but they are often physical
entities, where size is critical and can't be changed easily (for example,
the lake capacity is restricted).
10. The structure of material stocks and flows (such as transport network,
population age structures)
The structure of the system may have enormous effect on how the system operates.
So it might also be a leverage point to act on. However, if a system structure
was not built properly, the cost, delays and externalities of the rebuilding
may be prohibitive. Sometimes, the structure cannot even be changed at all.
So the leverage point might be to understand the system limitations and bottlenecks,
and to work on fluctuations.
For example, the inhabitants are worried about their lake getting polluted,
as the industry releases chemicals pollutants directly in the water without
any previous treatment. The system might need the used water to be diverted
to a waste water treatment plant, but this requires rebuilding the underground
used water system (which could be quite expensive).
9. The length of delays, relative to the rate of system changes
Another leverage point is in the length of delays. Delays must be carefully
considered, as information received too quickly or information received too
late could cause either overreaction and underreaction. Very lengthy delays
cause oscillations when trying to adjust a system. However, delays are often
parameters that can be changed as easily as rate of change.
For example, the city council is considering building the waste water treatment
plant. However, the plant will take 5 years to be built, and will last about
30 years. The first delay will prevent the water being cleaned up within the
first 5 years, while the second delay will make it impossible to build a plant
with exactly the right capacity.
8. The strength of negative feedback loops, relative to the effect they are
trying to correct against
A negative feedback loop is a control that tend to slow down a process (it
refers to the direction of the change). In a system going forward, the negative
loop will tend to promote stability (stagnation). The loop will keep the stock
near the goal, thanks to parameters, accuracy and speed of information feedback,
and size of correcting flows.
For example, one way to avoid the lake getting more and more polluted might
be through setting up an additional tax, relative to the amount and the degree
of the water released by the industrial plant. The tax might lead the industry
to reduce its releases.
7. The gain around driving positive feedback loops
A positive feedback loop is a control that tends to speed up a process (it
refers to the direction of the change). It is a self-reinforcing loop. Positive
feedback loop are sources of growth, of explosion, and sometimes of collapse
when the feedback is not under control (in particular of a negative feedback
loop). Dana indicates that in most cases, it is preferable to slow down a
positive loop, rather than speeding up a negative one.
The eutrophication of a lake is a typical feedback loop that goes wild. In
an eutrophic lake (which means well-nourished), lots of life can be supported
(fish included).
An increase of nutrients will lead to an increase of productivity, growth
of phytoplankton first, using up as much nutrients as possible, followed by
growth of zooplankton, feeding up on the first ones, and increase of fish populations.
The more nutrients available there is, the more productivity is increased.
As plankton organisms die, they fall at the bottom of the lake, where their
matter is degraded by decomposers.
However, this degradation uses up available oxygen, and in the presence of
huge amounts of organic matter to degrade, the medium progressively becomes
anoxic (there is no more oxygen available). Upon time, all oxygen-dependent
life dies, and the lake becomes a smelly anoxic place where no life can be
supported (in particular no fish).
6. The structure of information flow (who does and does not have access to
what kinds of information)
Information flow is a very important leverage point in a system. It is neither
a parameter, nor a re-inforcing or slowing loop, but a new loop delivering
information that was not delivered before. It is considered a very powerful
leverage, cheaper and easier than infrastructure change.
For example, a monthly public report of water pollution level, especially
nearby the industrial release, could have a lot of effect on people's opinions
regarding the industry, and lead to changes in the waste water level of pollution.
5. The rules of the system (such as incentives, punishment, constraints)
Rules are very high leverage points. Dana Meadows points out the importance
of paying attention to rules, and mostly to who make them.
For example, a strengthening of the law related to chemicals release limits,
or an increase of the tax amount for any water containing by a given pollutant,
will have a very strong effect on the lake water quality.
4. The power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure
Self-organization refers to the capacity of a system to change itself by creating
new structures; adding new negative and positive feedback loops, promoting
new information flows, making new rules.
For example, microorganisms have the ability to not only change to fit their
new polluted environment, but also to undergo an evolution that make them able
to biodegrade or bioaccumulate chemical pollutants. This capacity of part of
the system to participate to its own eco-evolution is a major leverage for
change
3. The goal of the system
A goal change has effect on every item listed above, parameters, feedback loops,
information and self-organisation.
A city council decision might be to change the goal of the lake from making
it a free facility for public and private global use, to a more touristic oriented
facility or a conservation area. That goal change will effect several of the
above leverages : information on water quality will become mandatory and legal
punishments will be set for any illegal polluted effluent.
2. The mindset or paradigm that the system - its goals, structure, rules,
delays, parameters - arises out of
A society paradigm is an idea, an unstated assumption (because it is unnecessary
to state it) that everyone shares, thoughts, or states of thoughts that are
sources of systems. Any set of assumptions becomes a paradigm, and therefore
re-examining all the fundamental assumptions may lead to new paradigms. Paradigms
are very hard to change, but there are no limits to paradigm change. It just
requires another way of seeing things. Dana indicates paradigms might be changed
by repeatedly and consistently pointing out anomalities and failures to those
with open minds.
A current paradigm is "Nature is a stock of resources to be converted
to human purpose". What might happen to the lake were this collective
idea changed ?
1. The power to transcend paradigms
Transcending paradigms may go beyond challenging fundamental assumptions, into
the realm of changing the values and priorities that lead to the assumptions,
and being able to choose among value sets at will. The power of this ability
may be literally godlike.
Many today see Nature as a stock of resources to be converted to human purpose.
Many Native Americans see Nature as a living god, to be loved, worshipped,
and lived with. These views are incompatible, but perhaps another viewpoint
could incorporate them both, along with others.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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