Abstract for: Learning to survive & thrive with a little help from System Dynamics

Humans are in uncharted territory as far as global problems are concerned. Can we learn and evolve fast enough for the current predicaments? Can System Dynamics (SD) be helpful for humans to gain insights from previous events? In this project, four cases (the London smog, ozone destruction, climate change and ancient civilization collapse) are explored from historical and SDs perspectives to identify archetypal patterns of human behavior in moments of mass crisis, key interventions, and potential leverage points, hoping to gain insights about human behavior and speed of information (or disinformation). We have to design strong balancing policies on our economic growth; otherwise, we will be balanced by the unstoppable force of an environmental collapse at multiple levels. The designed policies should have fundamental roots in the most recent ecological states. The tension remains on whether we will react timeously with enough potency, in the right direction, against current predicaments like climate change. We need to shift our focus to the long-term health of humanity and the globe, instead of waiting for lives lost before acting.