Importance of Systems Analysis Regarding Energy

Some tend to think of our energy industry in a vacuum, they think we're reliant on fossil fuels until an alternative energy is made viable enough (through technical supply means), and that's it. But there's a lot more to it than that.

When thinking in terms of systems, it requires you to look at all the elements in the system and then the interconnections between those elements, as well as the overall purpose and function of the system.

Elements include not just the demand and need for energy, but also matters of supply, consumers and their needs, the suppliers, the nations that are rich in oil and their rights, the right to a clean environment, government subsidies, politics, investment, research, development, policy, economic viability, public education, government agencies such as the EPA, lobbyists, pollution, efficiency, and so on.

Interconnections include how energy is produced, how oil is extracted, who is funding the research like corporate funded climate science, who is investing their money where, who owns the conventional media that educates the pubic on energy issues and politics, etc. These help you to understand what obstacles are in the way of shifting our energy industry off of fossil fuels such as the pay to play system in our government, the money-media election complex, the newsmedia being privately owned, an education gap regarding how our own culture and how our society is ran, etc. Systems analysis opens you up to that information.

Then there's the function and the purpose of a system, which aren't necessarily the same things. Function is in regards to the reason for the system in the first place and is usually the non-human element. Purpose is more of the mission statement of the system, add an extra human element. The function of the energy industry, simply put, is to supply the country with energy in order for society to function, like transporting people and goods, heating homes, supplying energy for manufacturing and production of goods, etc. I and many others could argue that the oil industry which supplies the large majority of our energy has their own purpose to make a profit without taking much else into consideration. The function of an energy industry is completely different than the purpose the oil industry has chosen.

Taking a systems thinking approach allows you to get a fuller understanding of the situation regarding our energy industry. It allows you to understand that even though there are alternative answers to supplying and running our energy industry, such as with renewable energy and a decentralized infrastructure and supply, progress isn't being made for other reasons. This is usually the case with answered problems, which our energy industry is. The issues regarding our energy industry are mostly answered problems because we have the technology and the means to shift our energy industry off of fossil fuels. The purposes of the sub-systems within our energy industry, such as our politics, economy, and overall consumer culture and 'limitless' economic views, are not aligned with the overall purpose of transitioning off of fossil fuels in order to decrease the effects of climate change.

If more people, voting citizens, political leaders, economists, etc. understood, discussed, and acted on this, we'd be making far more progress.

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