Systems Thinking Response

Response to Q1: 

My understanding most closely aligns to stakeholders in system 3. I took an environmental studies class in high school, and we spent a couple of weeks focusing exclusively on food systems and GMOs. Invasive species can be devastating to existing ecosystems and can cause harm beyond just the replacement of existing crops. Certain plant and animal life can be rendered extinct as invasive plants come to overwhelm to the ecosystem. Another key issue is that it would be nearly impossible to contain the spread of a GMO if it were to leave containment. Even more alarming is that the GMO could spread at a pace that could quickly devastate surrounding areas. A recent example of an invasive species (nonGMO) is the cane toad in Australia which is spreading at an insane rate and completely destroying wildlife and habitats with little to no solution.

Some of the stakes for these stakeholders are: contamination, ecosystem collapse, limited ability to respond in the event of GMO escape, and the unpredictability of the consequences.

Response to Q2: 

There are a lot of stakeholders for landfills, but for the three I will choose (1) the land itself, (2) environmentalists, and (3) government officials. The first is an ecosystem that is often irreparably changed by the presence and maintenance of the landfill. Not only does the landfill require vast amounts of land, it can be difficult to contain with potential to seep chemicals into ground water and eviscerate surrounding plant life/wildlife. The second worries about the carbon and greenhouse gas emissions generated by the landfill. The third operates in a political system requiring them to balance the benefits of landfills (storing trash out of the public eye) and the environmental and economic impacts of landfills (reductions in property value etc).