Without question, the most valuable natural resource on planet earth is fresh water (period!). Regardless of the immense importance of fossil fuels for the world economy, or the monetary value of minerals like gold, water is king. It can be strongly argued that “water wars” are in the somewhat near future, as former United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali remarked “The next war in the middle east with be over water, not politics” (1985).
This four-part project will be examining the case study of immense algae blooms in the Great Lakes, and how these blooms impact a plethora of biological, economic, and social factors. A problem of this level of complexity can be aptly characterized as a “Wicked Problem.” For simplicity’s sake, I will define an Environmental Wicked Problem as an issue with no single, simplistic solution. It is an issue that is deeply rooted in several sectors, is surrounded by scientific uncertainty, and contains a great amount of disagreement (Balint et al, 2011). With this in mind, the problem of current water quality in the Great Lakes is certainly “wicked,” and the rest of this entry will delve into exactly why.
Firstly, I will return to the notion of water’s importance to everyday human life. In the past, large algae blooms in the Great Lakes have actually caused toxic contamination of household water supply. In 2014, approximately 400 000 people living around Lake Erie’s west basin were left without safe water for 3 days (Roelofs, 2015). In addition, algae blooms of this magnitude deprive areas of oxygen and reduce biodiversity. It turns out, that the primary cause of the algae explosion in the last half-decade is a result of increased phosphate use by industrial farmers. Farmers apply phosphorous rich fertilizers to almost all of their crops to enhance their growth speed, size, and aesthetics. The issue here, is that a huge proportion of these phosphates are being poured into rivers, tributaries, and the Great Lakes themselves, through runoff during times of heavy rainfall (Snider, 2015). At first, this may appear to have a simple solution; just regulate the quantity of fertilizer that farmers are allowed to use, and the algae will not bloom. Wrong! Regulating fertilizer use is extremely complicated, and to this point, all attempts to do so have failed (Roelofs, 2015). Moreover, farming regulations in this case would need to cross a national boundary to full effectiveness, as the great lakes are surrounded by both Canada and the United States. Even if a policy reform was to be implemented, and it successfully reduced phosphate runoff and increased water quality, we would not be free and clear. A reduction in fertilizer use would likely decrease agricultural production, and the total yield of industrial farming in these areas. This result is obviously undesirable for the farming industry, and thus the great resistance for phosphate regulations. Another component of this Wicked Problem is one of climate change. An uncontrollable variable at this point, increased rainfall over the past half decade is a substantial contributor to phosphate runoff and algae growth. In order for the phosphorous to get into Great Lakes, it needs water, lots of water (Snider, 2015). How can we simply blame the farming industry when the farmers are not the primary vectors of phosphate runoff? Moreover, it is extremely difficult to suppress economic (especially food) output in lieu of environmental turmoil due to the sheer financial and political power of such organizations.
In conclusion, the water quality issue arising in the Great Lakes is a textbook Wicked Problem, as it contains many interconnected elements with a domino like effect.
Mind Map:
Now for my lovely Mind Map. Here I have the phenomenon under examination in the centre of the mind map. Protruding from the centre, I have connected the direct effects that excessive algae growth has (Biological, Economic, etc.). The ultimate effect that calls for action in my Mind Map is the “Danger to Humans.” Once clean water supply is jeopardized, humans seek to change that outcome through policy reform. It is this policy reform, that sets off a complicated reaction of cause and effect in the Mind Map. For example, calling for a reduction in phosphate use decreases agricultural productivity, which effects employment, etc. Another key component of the Mind Map, located at the top, is the Climate Change element. This uncontrollable (for the short term anyways) facet is, while easy to understand, is centerfold in the complication of the mind map. Without the excessive rainfall, the immense algae blooms would be minimal if present at all (Roelofs, 2011). The top left corner contains the economic portion of output and employment, and how policy changes to farmers can ultimately filter down to the financial well being of many people.
References:
Balint, P., Stewart, R., & Desai, A. (2011). Wicked Environmental Problems: Managing Uncertainty and Conflict (pp. 1-21). Island Press.
Roelofs, T. (2015, August 4). Algae bloom, the sequel, spells big trouble for Lake Erie. Bridge. http://bridgemi.com/2015/08/algae-bloom-the-sequel-spells-big-trouble-for-lake-erie/
Snider, James. “How to Tackle Lake Erie’s Algae Problem.” Huffington Post 3 Sept. 2015. Print. http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/wwfcanada/lake-erie-algae_b_8079422.html