ABSTRACT

Many water problems arise from a coupling of natural and human systems. Interdependent physical and societal dynamics give rise to complexity within these systems. Complexity, in this sense, is not a distinction that describes the degree of difficulty involved in solving such a problem but an intrinsic property of the system from which the problem arises. In contrast to simple and complicated systems, complex systems are characterized by ambiguous and nonprospective cause-effect relationships, broad and often-irreducible predictive uncertainty, and emergent “surprises” that dominate system behavior and response. To highlight the importance of recognizing this complexity, we explore how the identification of a system as simple, complicated, or complex puts important constraints on the way problems arising from these systems need to be addressed. We use the example of an ongoing sanitation crisis in Lowndes County, Alabama, to help make these distinctions clear. We first examine the crisis as if it were the product of a simple system and examine the approach and proposed actions that might entail. Then we contrast those outcomes with what we might expect to see if the system were actually complicated. Finally, we argue why the sanitation crisis in Lowndes County is neither simple nor complicated but rather inherently complex. We close by suggesting that, on the basis of this notion of complexity, inclusive stakeholder engagement (e.g., in fact-value deliberation, joint fact finding, collective decision making, and adaptive management) is needed to achieve sustainable and equitable outcomes.