ABSTRACT
Recall that in our previous chapters we have discussed how the conventional environmental orientation is largely ineffective in addressing the ecological crisis for several reasons. Here we will focus on two of these reasons: the inherent complexity of environmental problems and the related problem of uncertainty and incomplete knowledge. Environmental phenomena involve the functioning of complex systems. For this reason, the influences of complex system mechanisms and attributes such as positive feedback cycles, networks, chaos and non-linear effects must be taken into account in developing sound environmental management strategies. These influences, however, make the complete characterization of environmental systems challenging, if at all possible in the first place. That is, we face a situation of irreducible uncertainty due to the very nature of environmental phenomena. Recall also that the necessity of having to contend with incomplete data pertaining to environmental phenomena is due in part to the magnitude and complexity of environmental problems, which requires innumerable variables to be identified and incorporated into analysis, and because ecological baseline data are not available after the fact – that is, during the post-impact period when it is too late to attain baseline data. Furthermore, as alluded to in our previous discussions, the level of complexity and the degrees of uncertainty multiply when we adopt a more holistic approach that takes into account the socio-ecological basis of the ecological crisis. This is because both social and natural variables (not to mention the interactions between these two sets of variables) would then need to be factored into the account. How, then, can we move towards the development of a philosophical reorientation of environmental management that takes into account these types of formidable limitations?
