Systems in the real world are messy and complex. There’s a reason that Aldo Leopold was so cautious about interventions:
“The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, “What good is it?” If the land mechanism as a whole is good, then every part is good, whether we understand it or not. If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly useless parts? To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.†― Aldo Leopold, Round River: From the Journals of Aldo Leopold
Feedback loops and interactions can be subtle and hard to see. This short video is a nice example of that complexity presented in an accessible and understandable way. It’s been making the rounds in various social media settings. I wanted to post it here so that I can find it and share it more easily.
This video was developed from materials in a TED talk by biologist George Monbiot: