GEF

Unit 4   |  The Global Ecosystem 100 The iceberg model is a useful systems thinking tool to lead us to look beyond what is first noticed about a problem and deeper into the linked causes. The simple facts of an issue make up the tip of the iceberg. For climate change, this would be today’s news of rising temperatures, melting icecaps, natu- ral disasters, and other symptoms of climate change. Above the Waterline Below the Waterline The iceberg model encourages us to look below the surface of challenges. The majority of the iceberg, which is harder to see, represents the root causes of the symptoms. These causes include factors such as how we use energy and resources, as well as our atti- tudes about the environment. The goal of the iceberg model is to demonstrate that real change becomes possible by under- standing root causes and patterns. Albert Einstein said, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” Systems thinking and the triple bottom line are new ways to look for successful solutions to problems. ICEBERG MODEL A systems thinking method that looks below the simple facts of an issue to investi- gate causes and patterns. ?  DID YOU KNOW? In 1996, New York City was faced with the prospect of building a water filtration plant at an estimated cost of $8 billion after city water no longer met Environmental Protection Agency stan- dards. Instead, the city chose to invest about $1.5 billion in ecosystem restoration in the Catskill Mountains, the source of NYC water. In this case, valuing the purifying service of this ecosystem proved more effective and cheaper than building a water treatment plant.