Sustainability: Resilience Concepts

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Questions and Answers

What is resilience, as defined by Brian H. Walker?

The ability of a system to change its structure and functions in response to disturbances

The ability of a system to revert to its original state after a disturbance

The ability of a system to resist any kind of disturbance

The capacity of a system to absorb disturbances and maintain its basic structure and functions (correct)

What are the two key aspects of resilience?

Adapting to disturbances and maintaining stability

Responding to disturbances and recovering quickly

Increasing efficiency and reducing redundancy

Avoiding tipping points and building general resilience (correct)

What is a common misconception about resilience?

Resilience means returning to a previous state

Resilience is inherently good (correct)

Resilience is only about adapting to disturbances

Resilience is only applicable to ecosystems

What is the primary difference between robustness and ecological resilience?

Robustness is about resisting change, while resilience is about adapting to change Signup and view all the answers

Why is response diversity important for building resilience?

It allows systems to perform essential functions in multiple ways Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential consequence of overemphasizing robustness?

Reduced overall resilience Signup and view all the answers

Why is exposure to manageable disturbances important for building resilience?

It allows systems to maintain their adaptive capacities Signup and view all the answers

What is a key characteristic of modularity in building resilience?

The right balance of connectivity among system components Signup and view all the answers

What is a key difference between overconnected and under-connected systems?

Overconnected systems are more vulnerable to rapid failures, while under-connected systems may react too slowly. Signup and view all the answers

According to Walker, what is the main goal of building resilience?

To adapt and maintain functionality amidst disturbances Signup and view all the answers

What is the main limitation of GDP as a measure of economic success?

It does not account for the well-being of people or the planet Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of 'response diversity' in building resilience?

It enables systems to adapt to a wider range of disturbances Signup and view all the answers

Why is 'guiding, not steering' an important principle of resilience?

It keeps options open and enables learning and adaptation Signup and view all the answers

What is 'multi-scale thinking' in the context of resilience?

Considering cross-scale interactions and dynamics Signup and view all the answers

Why is it important to allow for 'exposure to a variety of conditions' in building resilience?

To enable learning and adaptation Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between 'specific' and 'general' resilience?

Specific resilience is about responding to specific threats, while general resilience is about building robust systems Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Resilience: Concept and Misconceptions

Resilience is the capacity of a system to absorb disturbances and maintain its basic structure and functions.
It involves two key aspects:
- Avoiding tipping points: recognizing and avoiding thresholds that could push a system into an undesirable state.
- Building general resilience: ensuring systems have attributes that allow them to cope with a wide range of disturbances.

Misconceptions About Resilience

Resilience isn't inherently good: harmful states, such as dictatorships or degraded environments, can also be resilient.
Resilience is more than "bouncing back": it involves adapting and reorganizing, not just returning to a previous state.

Resilience vs. Robustness

Robustness refers to resisting change and maintaining stability (engineering resilience), which is different from ecological resilience.
Overemphasizing robustness can reduce overall resilience.

Building Resilience

Response diversity: systems should have multiple ways to perform essential functions, with different capacities to handle various disturbances.
Exposure to disturbances: protection from all disturbances can reduce resilience; exposure to manageable disturbances helps systems maintain their adaptive capacities.
Modularity: systems need the right balance of connectivity to avoid rapid failures or slow reactions to crises.
Quick response to changes: systems should be able to respond swiftly to shocks.
Willingness to transform: sometimes, fundamental changes are necessary to continue delivering value.
Multi-scale thinking: resilience cannot be understood or managed at a single scale; cross-scale interactions are crucial.
Guiding, not steering: resilience involves keeping options open and learning to guide systems within a range of desirable states.

Conclusion and Key Points

Resilience is about learning to change in order to avoid being changed in undesirable ways.
It requires considering both specific and general resilience, allowing exposure to a variety of conditions, and sometimes making deliberate transformations.
Building resilience requires a balanced approach, considering both specific threats and general capacities across all parts of the system.

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Description

Learn about the concept of resilience, its definition, and how it's often misinterpreted. Brian H. Walker's editorial provides a clear understanding based on decades of research.