CREEPING PROBLEMS
Charles François (2004). CREEPING PROBLEMS, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 750.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 750 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Human sciences |
Problems that are “the result of long-term , low-grade, and slow-onset cumulative processes ”. (M.H. GLANTZ, p.12).
GLANTZ adds, significantly, with more specific reference to environmental problems: “Creeping … problems cut across academic disciplines, political ideologies , continents and cultures ”
And “Incremental changes in environmental conditions accumulate over time with the eventual result that, after some threshold of change has been crossed, things ”suddenly“ appear as major degradation”…
- “Creeping… problems thus change the environment in a negative cumulative and, at least for some period of time , invisible way. Both governments and individuals tend to continue to view their ”usual activities“ as acceptable”.
A further trap is that: “Scientific uncertainty can also foster inaction” (Ibid). It can even be used by pressure interest groups in order to block needed adaptations .
See also
Change (Rates of), Effect (Delayed), Risk makers