Unintended Environmental Consequences of Improvement Actions : A Qualitative Analysis of Systems' Structure and Behavior
Laurenti, Rafael ; Singh, Jagdeep LU
; Sinha, Rajib
; Potting, Josepha
and Frostell, Björn
(2016)
In Systems Research and Behavioral Science
33(3).
p.381-399
- Abstract
We qualitatively analysed how and why environmental improvement actions often lead to unintended environmental consequences. Different theories are integrated to delineate the underlying system structure causing this system behavior. Causal loop diagram technique is utilized to explore and visualize: how incremental improvements in material and energy efficiency can unintendedly cause consumption to increase; how this consumption rebound effect is linked to generation of waste and pollution; and how this can give rise to social and negative externalities, economic inequalities and other broad unintended consequences in our society. Consumption and incremental innovation are found to be the highest leverage points and reinforcing factors... (More)
We qualitatively analysed how and why environmental improvement actions often lead to unintended environmental consequences. Different theories are integrated to delineate the underlying system structure causing this system behavior. Causal loop diagram technique is utilized to explore and visualize: how incremental improvements in material and energy efficiency can unintendedly cause consumption to increase; how this consumption rebound effect is linked to generation of waste and pollution; and how this can give rise to social and negative externalities, economic inequalities and other broad unintended consequences in our society. Consumption and incremental innovation are found to be the highest leverage points and reinforcing factors driving unintended environmental consequences in this complex system. The paper in addition explores two potential modes of behaviour dissimilar to those of unintended environmental consequences. These emerging modes of behaviour are product-service systems and environmental policy instruments. Their combination forms a prominent transition pathway from a production-consumption-dispose economy to a so-called circular economy.
(Less)
- author
- Laurenti, Rafael
; Singh, Jagdeep
LU
; Sinha, Rajib
; Potting, Josepha
and Frostell, Björn
- publishing date
- 2016-05-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Causal loop diagram, Consumption rebound effect, Incremental innovation, Systems' structure and behavior, Unintended environmental consequences
- in
- Systems Research and Behavioral Science
- volume
- 33
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 19 pages
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84923340510
- ISSN
- 1092-7026
- DOI
- 10.1002/sres.2330
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- id
- 5f3de831-6dd4-4dd3-ab0d-2f25ca8c1c44
- date added to LUP
- 2018-06-23 14:07:10
- date last changed
- 2022-04-25 07:57:22
@article{5f3de831-6dd4-4dd3-ab0d-2f25ca8c1c44,
abstract = {{<p>We qualitatively analysed how and why environmental improvement actions often lead to unintended environmental consequences. Different theories are integrated to delineate the underlying system structure causing this system behavior. Causal loop diagram technique is utilized to explore and visualize: how incremental improvements in material and energy efficiency can unintendedly cause consumption to increase; how this consumption rebound effect is linked to generation of waste and pollution; and how this can give rise to social and negative externalities, economic inequalities and other broad unintended consequences in our society. Consumption and incremental innovation are found to be the highest leverage points and reinforcing factors driving unintended environmental consequences in this complex system. The paper in addition explores two potential modes of behaviour dissimilar to those of unintended environmental consequences. These emerging modes of behaviour are product-service systems and environmental policy instruments. Their combination forms a prominent transition pathway from a production-consumption-dispose economy to a so-called circular economy.</p>}},
author = {{Laurenti, Rafael and Singh, Jagdeep and Sinha, Rajib and Potting, Josepha and Frostell, Björn}},
issn = {{1092-7026}},
keywords = {{Causal loop diagram; Consumption rebound effect; Incremental innovation; Systems' structure and behavior; Unintended environmental consequences}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{05}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{381--399}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Systems Research and Behavioral Science}},
title = {{Unintended Environmental Consequences of Improvement Actions : A Qualitative Analysis of Systems' Structure and Behavior}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/sres.2330}},
doi = {{10.1002/sres.2330}},
volume = {{33}},
year = {{2016}},
}