Ecoblogi – A Blog by Daniel Elkama

When two things interact with each other, a system is created. The system of two components is the simplest possible system, for example the Earth and the Moon form a system where they affect each other with their attraction. Compared to this, our entire Solar System is a very complex system with millions of components. There is always movement and dynamic interaction between different parts in the system. Space is a system, so is the Earth, economy, climate, telecommunications network, our brain and society. Matter, energy or information can move in the system. The system is connected by a certain area and various functions and interactions, which can be very complex. In a linear simple system, A leads to B and B in turn leads to C. However, almost no system is linear, but they consist of complicated and complex networks with many parts and non-linear effects and dependencies, and which are sometimes even holistic: in this case, everything affects everything in some way. In the system, holism grows from a simple system, to a complex, complex and chaotic one that is impossible to embrace or understand. Global sustainability problems are almost always complex, some of the so-called "wicked problems" that are very difficult to understand and manage because they are located in the middle ground of a complex and chaotic system. To understand them, you need accurate research, comprehensiveness and interdisciplinary approach, many kinds of paradigms, or approaches, and especially systems thinking. Solutions to the wicked problems often cause new problems and are sometimes downright disservices. Nuclear power is an example of this.

Let's return for a moment to the surface of the Earth and its vicinity; as well as the star systems that are built on the natural laws of space, also terrestrial nature on and near the surface of our Earth, i.e. more precisely, the Earth's biotic or living nature and abiotic or non-living nature form life systems or ecosystems in a certain area (a portion of the Earth's surface), which are air, water, rocks, soil, plants, fungi, animals, etc.. Ecosystems sustain life and natural cycles, and disturbing them, e.g. excessive use of water, air pollution or felling of trees, cause destruction, environmental changes and environmental problems that are often difficult to fix. It is very fascinating how ecosystems know how to regulate and maintain themselves and only need energy, matter and natural laws to function. Ecosystems consist of numerous small pieces that interact with each other, with other components of the system.

Similarly, our climate system is very complicated, i.e. complex, and has a huge number of different variables, constants, coefficients, feedback functions and components that affect each other. The climate is so complex that it is very difficult, even impossible, to predict its state of being at a certain moment, i.e. the weather. Small changes in the components can cause big changes in the whole, often unpredictable. A volcanic eruption at the end of the Middle Ages, the eruption of Krakatau in Indonesia, or it together with a few other large supervolcanic eruptions, caused the so-called Little Ice Age, which lasted from about 1300 to 1850. At that time, the global average temperature was up to 0.6 degrees lower than today and numerous famines killed millions of people around the world, for example in Finland and Ireland a significant part of the population starved to death or fled the country in the 17th-19th centuries. In some periods in Europe, the average climate temperature was even 2-3 times cooler than normal. Volcanic eruptions released huge amounts of wet sulfur into the atmospheric stratosphere, where it cooled the climate critically by reflecting the Sun's heat radiation back into space. Before the Little Ice Age, even the Vikings cultivated vines in Scotland during the Warm Ages of the Middle Ages. The change to the former was therefore huge and the reason was a momentary activity of volcanic origin. Now, on the other hand, when humans burn fossil fuels and destroy carbon sinks, the climate has warmed up to 2 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. The results are already catastrophic, extreme weather phenomena already affect the daily lives of billions of people and the lives and health of millions are at risk. The socio-ecological system interacts with the climate in numerous different ways. Climate change involves several components as well as feedbacks and feedback functions that can worsen or mitigate it, for example the melting of permafrost and the release of methane from arctic marshes, increased water vapor, particles released from plants, the earth's reflectivity, i.e. albedo, and the ability of the seas to bind carbon and heat. Unfortunately, these mostly only accelerate climate change at the moment. Some of the feedbacks are real time bombs, like methane ice clathrates on the seabed.

In ecosystems, a small change can sometimes be unpredictable and dangerous. For example, the loss of one key species can destroy a number of other species like a falling house of cards. For example, the beaver, as a key species, creates a completely new ecosystem when it dams a stream or river. The resulting pond attracts plants, water lilies and other aquatic and coastal plants, and animals such as frogs, salamanders, muskrats, waterfowl and water voles. If the beaver disappears somewhere, these other species that depend on its presence will probably disappear as well. Biodiversity refers to natural diversity, genetic variability, the number of species and the abundance of different ecosystems and biotopes. Diversity maintains, feeds and enriches itself. Diversity worked in such a way that it often grows exponentially with new species. Each species brings new eco lockers to the system for new species. A healthy ecosystem is diverse and is also more resilient to external and internal threats. Its resilience is greater. Resilience describes the system's state of resisting harmful changes and recovering from them. In the case of an ecosystem, it is therefore the ecosystem's resistance to, for example, plant diseases, viruses, harmful fungi, pests and alien species. In addition to biotic threats, it is also resilience to physical threats, such as forest fires and storm damage. The greater the biodiversity, the greater the resilience. The greater the biodiversity, the more it offers and better protects and maintains various services offered by nature, i.e. ecosystem services, such as air purification, water and nutrient circulation, production of food and medicinal plants and other useful things, etc. Trees, for example, use their leaves to clean the air of harmful particles and produce oxygen for us to breathe. Plants participate in the water cycle. Biodiversity is based on geological diversity, i.e. rock types, landforms, etc. Geodiversity maintains biodiversity, and the greater the geodiversity of an area, the greater the biodiversity is usually. The earth's endo- and exogenous forces, such as volcanism and erosion, for example caused by wind and flowing water, create numerous new ecological compartments for different species and biotopes. This is how dunes, fell streams and mangrove forests with their unique species are created. In general, important biodiversity hot spot areas on Earth, such as the Mediterranean, the Caribbean or the Canary Islands, are also geologically diverse and have, for example, plenty of volcanism, mountains and canyons shaped by erosion, etc.

It has been scientifically proven that a small disturbance in the ecosystem caused by humans or abiotic nature, for example small-scale farming or gardening, or small-scale forest fires that rarely occur, increases biodiversity. There are species that depend on forest fires or intensive farming. Agriculture creates new types of habitats for numerous different species: small-scale farming and small-scale grazing, for example, attract small mammals, field and meadow plants, butterflies and many kinds of bugs and insects to the area. Humans are therefore not only a problem for nature, as you often hear claimed, but even a useful actor when we act correctly and based on science. In addition to the aforementioned cultivation and grazing, e.g. beekeeping also increases the pollination of wild plants and their number. Cities also provide food and shelter for many species. The city is also an ecosystem, where at its best there is a lot of nature, such as old trees, birds, bats or, for example, city rabbits and foxes. Yards in the suburbs can be a real nature paradise, where diversity is very high. Winter feeding of birds and other active nature conservation increase the number of different species. We can also correct past mistakes, such as restoring bogs by blocking drains, etc. and maintaining traditional biotopes by mowing. Agroecological organic farming and other types of peaceful coexistence of humans with nature is a win-win situation for nature and humans. Problems arise when people don't value nature and don't take care of it, when we take too much from nature in our greed, disrupt nature's functioning and cycles, and dump waste and pollution there. However, a good coexistence is completely possible.

What is very interesting is that complex natural systems seem to have a tendency to strive for a state of equilibrium, if we observe ecosystems or even the water cycle or the climate system. Thanks to this, they have greater resilience. The ozone cycle, for example, repairs itself, and I firmly believe that this is due to the complexity of the system. Ecosystems and all systems are more than the sum of their parts. Think about what would be the simplest possible organism in terms of brain function or nervous system, let's call it "Elkama's cognitive bit fly" That fly would have only one neuron. A neuron could be either "on" or "off". So it would be a binary fly that could only give itself two commands: turn right or turn left. If we thus imagine another fly, i.e. a byte fly, with 8 neurons, its possible commands would already be 256. It could already do more actions. What about a human being with hundreds of billions of neurons? We notice here how quickly and exponentially the complexity increases when the components increase. Complexity therefore increases enormously with the number of components, for example the increase in biodiversity. This actually enables our consciousness as well. Because the brain is super-complex, it enables conscious thought. I also believe in the soul, but this is the biological mechanism of consciousness. Synergy emerges from complexity, which means how the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Some kind of synergistic mass intelligence emerges from the ecosystem, which is of course not the same as customer consciousness, but it is an intelligence similar to a computer or a robot. In an ant colony, this collective intelligence comes to the fore. It is unlikely that a single ant will understand exactly what the whole colony is doing, but collective intelligence makes the ants work together very sensibly. The same is true of human society. Of course, we as individuals also have a trillion times more sense than ants. Of course, that doesn't mean that the ant is super stupid either. Bugs are amazingly smart too, especially bumblebees and bees. Small brain size does not mean stupidity. Many bird species, which are among the most intelligent animals in the world, have small brains, for example the gray parrot. They are capable of very complex thinking.

Science and cultural heritage help us a lot in our search for a new sustainable (partly also old) way of life to live side by side with nature. What is important is people's awareness, erudition (this is not just the same as a high level of education), cooperation and ethics. Ethics, valuing nature and each other, and striving for happiness and prosperity for all, give us guidelines and goals to strive towards. Already in the Christian and Jewish Bibles and in the Muslim Koran, it was taught how to "cultivate and protect" the Earth with care, so that everyone benefits, humans and other species. When we treat other species well, we get to enjoy the "Fruits of the Earth". In e.g. Buddhism and African folklore, plants and animals are seen as conscious beings, as if our brothers, who should be treated with compassion and love. Science, philosophy and ethics teach the same thing: sentient and conscious beings are subjects of their own lives who have rights, just like our fellow humans. In fact, the whole ethics arises from it and is built on the fact that there are conscious beings and we can make ethical choices as subjects. The benefit and rights of someone else, or the general benefit, must not violate the rights of others or harm others. Other things bring more well-being, such as health, happiness and kindness. Other things remove well-being and destroy, such as disease, suffering and war. So some things are good and others are bad, the well-being and happiness of all beings are our most important goals, on which the whole society, including the economy, should be built. We are also actually completely dependent on other species, nature and the ecosystem services it provides, the whole society is built on nature's ecosystem services and biodiversity; a sustainable way of life is one that fits within the planetary boundaries and makes room for the other species with whom we share this common sphere. The Indian chief Seattle once stated: "As we treat the earth, so the Earth treats us."

The interactions in nature and society, in the socio-ecological system, are so complex that it is extremely important to understand the laws and functioning of nature and society well. Science, art, spirituality and religion as well as other culture help here. We cannot leave experiencing and knowing the world to science alone. Otherwise, we only see narrowly. Just as it is important for a person to be both rational and emotional. You have to know how to approach things from many directions, with many different paradigms and approaches. This way we can understand nature, society, economy and culture holistically, and see more than just a narrow slice. When we assemble and connect the pieces of the puzzle, we may even find absolute truths. An Indian story tells about blind men who come across an elephant in the forest. They all interpret the elephant in different ways: one touches the elephant by the trunk and thinks the wolf is a snake, and the other touches the leg and thinks the elephant is a tree. If the men had realized to combine their information, they could have deduced the truth. Science searches for the truth and strives for deductiveness, in which case we find the truth. There is always an inductive risk in inductiveness, i.e. inferring from observations, i.e. we can be wrong and the truth is only an illusion or an approximation of the truth. However, we can find generally accepted truths about many things, that is, we can find so-called paradigms, which are the generally accepted starting points of science. Climate change or Einstein's theory of relativity are like this. When we know the interactions and laws of nature and society thoroughly, we can make new important and significant interventions and create an ecologically, socially, economically and culturally sustainable society; just like a doctor knowing the patient, his diagnosis and illness as well as the drugs and treatments.

In my previous post, I discussed the connection between globalization and complexity and crises. Due to globalization, crises such as war, the corona epidemic and climate change are often global. After the expeditions of the 16th century and the development of science and technology, the world has moved towards deepening globalization at an accelerating pace. Globalization is an inevitable consequence of entropy and increasing interaction. Whether people like it or not, the world today is global and is becoming more global. Just as you cannot control the air leaking from a gas cylinder due to pressure, you cannot prevent globalization. It is a logical and natural consequence of the growth of interaction. Entropy is a law of nature. We can influence that, whether globalization leads to a miserable and unhappy dystopia or a good utopia, connection and solidarity.

What kind of society is resilient? I would say, the same as with nature's exosystems: one that is as diverse as possible, that is, with a large socio-diversity, and the growth of interaction and globalization leads to a large socio-diversity. A healthy ecosystem has great biodiversity and many different individuals and habitat types. In a healthy society, there are many people of different cultures, nationalities, languages, different sizes, looks, ages and different in many ways. Social resilience stems from this diversity of society. People of different ages and coming from different cultures have different knowledge and wisdom. Different types of people correlate with the number of new innovations in society. Different nations can learn from each other and make different contributions to society. Society's complexity and complex interactions increase its reliance and resilience up to a certain point. It is better to have many components and a lot of interaction, because this increases interdependence, resource sharing, information flow and cooperation. However, chaos is a danger if holism grows too much, and crises escalate. In a complex world, crises also arise easily due to the number of interactions, dependencies and components, and they become global more easily. However, resilience is greater in such a world. When the world was strongly nationalistic, the greatest human tragedies occurred. World War II was the terrible climax of the nationalist world.

The world is actually a much better place than ever by many measures: infant mortality is low, there is less poverty than ever (although there is still a lot of it), the world is less violent than before and human rights have progressed (although there is still a lot to be done) and we can cure numerous diseases that could not be cured before. The fact is that not long ago the world was very cruel and violent: there was more oppression, slavery, torture, violence, poverty and diseases. In the Middle Ages, up to 2/5 of men died in war. Especially the Enlightenment that started in the 17th century has created a more equal and better world. Thinkers such as Immanuel Kant, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau have been pioneers of a better world during that time. Later, for example, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King and Barack Obama. Science and Reformed or reinterpreted Religions are also of great importance. Technology, common rules and goals and the growth of cooperation have been particularly important. Globalization is therefore basically a good thing, as long as common rules and goals and objectives are created, which are also followed. However, there are two sides to the coin. The problem with globalization comes when there are elements, e.g. Greedy and Reckless big companies, Dictators (like Hitler and Putin) and states that have their own interests and aspirations, and that do not respect common rules and human rights. These types of selfish Actors do not actually operate at all like Nature's ecosystems, which are based on cooperation. There is selfishness in nature, but more cooperation. Greed is not found in nature. Predators only eat when needed. In the forest, research has shown that even trees of different species help each other by giving weaker individuals sugar and nutrients through mycorrhizal fungi.

So we must strive for global connection, consensus and solidarity. The world is better when it is a global village. Society is a system much like natural ecosystems, as is the economy. In ecology and economics, in fact, many terms are exactly the same. The root word for both is the Greek word oikos, which means house or family. Economy is the management of common things and resources. Politics focuses more on values and governance (what values are promoted) and economics on resources (how resources are distributed). Politics often determines the economy to a very large extent. In a good society, the well-being and happiness of all citizens and the maintenance of biodiversity, ecosystem services and well-being are the most important goals. The most important are us, the experiencers and subjects of our own lives. The world was created for us. Let's take care of the beautiful world that is entrusted to us. Not messing it up or destroying it, but nurturing it and letting it flourish.

Daniel Elkama