Insight diagram
Yi Ran Wang Assignment 2
Insight diagram
Clone of Pesticide Use in Central America for Lab work


This model is an attempt to simulate what is commonly referred to as the “pesticide treadmill” in agriculture and how it played out in the cotton industry in Central America after the Second World War until around the 1990s.

The cotton industry expanded dramatically in Central America after WW2, increasing from 20,000 hectares to 463,000 in the late 1970s. This expansion was accompanied by a huge increase in industrial pesticide application which would eventually become the downfall of the industry.

The primary pest for cotton production, bol weevil, became increasingly resistant to chemical pesticides as they were applied each year. The application of pesticides also caused new pests to appear, such as leafworms, cotton aphids and whitefly, which in turn further fuelled increased application of pesticides. 

The treadmill resulted in massive increases in pesticide applications: in the early years they were only applied a few times per season, but this application rose to up to 40 applications per season by the 1970s; accounting for over 50% of the costs of production in some regions. 

The skyrocketing costs associated with increasing pesticide use were one of the key factors that led to the dramatic decline of the cotton industry in Central America: decreasing from its peak in the 1970s to less than 100,000 hectares in the 1990s. “In its wake, economic ruin and environmental devastation were left” as once thriving towns became ghost towns, and once fertile soils were wasted, eroded and abandoned (Lappe, 1998). 

Sources: Douglas L. Murray (1994), Cultivating Crisis: The Human Cost of Pesticides in Latin America, pp35-41; Francis Moore Lappe et al (1998), World Hunger: 12 Myths, 2nd Edition, pp54-55.

Clone of REM 221 - Causal Loop diagramming
Insight diagram

Overview

The model shows the industry connection and conflict between Forestry and Mountain Tourism in Derby, Tasmania. The objective of this simulation is to find out the balance point for co-exist.

 

How Does the Model Work?

Both industries can provide economic contribution to Tasmania. Firstly, selling timbers through logging would generate income. Also, spendings from mountain bike riders would generate incomes. However, low tree regrowth rate can not cover up logging, which influences the beautiful vistas and riders' experiences. While satisfaction and expectation depend on vistas and experience, the demand of mountain biking would be influenced through repeat visits and world of mouth as well.

 

Interesting Insights

Although forestry can provide a great amount of economic contribution to Tasmania, over logging goes against ESG framework as well as creating conflict with mountain tourism. As long as the number of rider visits is stable, tourism can always provide a greater economic contribution compared to forestry. Therefore, the government should consider the balance point between two industries.

Simulation of Derby Mountain Bikes versus Forestry
Insight diagram
Economic Loop D7
Insight diagram
WIP replication of Khalid Saeed's draft paper presented by the Economics chapter of the SD Society in Sept 2019 youtube video
Unlinking public finance and taxation in fiat currency
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first draft with forked supply demand example intact
Backup of Associative Economics - The Farmer, The baker and The Bread Eaters
Insight diagram
Lakon_Energy Economics Fossil Fuel
Insight diagram
An initial study of the economics of single use coffee pods.
TENESPRESSO
Insight diagram
BAM economic model
Insight diagram
This is an evolving attempt to illustrate the interconnected nature of the economic assets of Roswell - Chaves County
RCC economic model 1.1
Insight diagram

This model illustrates a scenario whereby a client wanted to move from a Fixed rate/ton/route transported to a Tendered rate/ton/route in order to reduce the overall cost of transport. There have been considerable ''unintended consequences'' as a result of this.

Transport Rate Creep Model
Insight diagram
integratrated solar  energy  economics  for  northeast brazil depend   consultant engs
Solar Energy - Efficiency economic s
Insight diagram
A Model for COVID-19 outbreak
AT3
Insight diagram
Bicycle ridership
Insight diagram
This model illustrates the current practice and consequences of government spending. Following the direction of the arrows from right to left the model shows the following sequence based on current practice:

Government Spending at a certain point leads to spending in excess of tax receipts. This will automatically lead to the issue of treasuries in the belief that the excess spending must be financed by borrowing (although the government has the capacity to create  money). This in turn will increase the national debt.

 Consequences that follow from this practice:

1) That national debt increases whenever the government spends in excess of tax receipts.

2) That the government must pay interest on the debt issued, which in turn increases and reinforces the need for government spending.

3) That the interest paid on treasuries will increase private sector income.

There is an alternative view, supported by Modern Monetary Theory, of how government spending can proceed. Please see this  Insight: 

https://insightmaker.com/insight/19954

Government Spending (Current Practice)
Insight diagram
This model simulates the economics of buying a home. It was created to compare buying a home against using investment returns to pay for rent. According to Micheal Finke, house prices typically run 20x monthly rental rates. 

Try cloning this insight, setting the parameter values for real-world scenarios, and then running sensitivity analysis (see tools) to determine the likely wealth outcomes. Compare buying a home to renting. Note that each run will keep the parameters the same while simulating market volatility.

version 2.0
Home buying simulation 2.0
Insight diagram
Simple model of the global economy, the global carbon cycle, and planetary energy balance.

The planetary energy balance model is a two-box model, with shallow and deep ocean heat reservoirs. The carbon cycle model is a 4-box model, with the atmosphere, shallow ocean, deep ocean, and terrestrial carbon. 

The economic model is based on the Kaya identity, which decomposes CO2 emissions into population, GDP/capita, energy intensity of GDP, and carbon intensity of energy. It allows for temperature-related climate damages to both GDP and the growth rate of GDP.

This model was originally created by Bob Kopp (Rutgers University) in support of the SESYNC Climate Learning Project.
Clone of Simple Climate-Carbon-Economic Model
Insight diagram
Pathways Causal Loop - no cross-sector
Insight diagram
This is Figure 6 from Lancastle, N. (2012) 'Circuit Theory Extended: The Role of Speculation in Crises' based on Keen, S. (2010). Solving the Paradox of Monetary Profits.

http://www.economics-ejournal.org/economics/journalarticles/2012-34

Banks expand their lending, which in this model leads to higher production, wages and spending. The result is an increase in total spending.  
Keynesian Boost
Insight diagram
Do you like travelling? Find out how we can help make it more sustainable!

Images used:
Suitcase: 
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/animaljam/images/a/ab/Travel-suitcase_(1).png/revision/latest?cb=20140907211051
Fiji: http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/91c1263a2a357b3673af8ff8362c0c8d?width=1024
Hotels:
https://taj.tajhotels.com/content/dam/luxury/hotels/taj-palace-delhi/images/master2/16x7/38849817-H1-Exterior_1-16x7.jpg
Poverty:
http://www.montana.edu/extensionecon/images/povertywordcloud.jpg
Leverage Point
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/genderinintegratedsystemsresearchbycynthiamcdougallseniorscientistgenderequitythemeleader-150311041710-conversion-gate01/95/gender-in-integrated-systems-research-by-cynthia-mcdougall-senior-scientist-gender-equity-theme-leader-25-638.jpg?cb=1426065542

Sources:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/270422/forecast-for-2020-arrivals-of-foreign-tourists-worldwide/

http://www.sustainabletourism.net

Week 10 Lecture- Dr. David Tindall Lecture pdf

https://www.adb.org/countries/fiji/poverty

Economic Impact of Tourism on Fiji's Economy: Empirical Evidence from Computable General Equilibrium Model by Paresh Kumar Narayan

https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic%20impact%20research/countries%202015/fiji2015.pdf

http://sustainabletravel.org/our-work/regional-alliances/pacific/hotel-sustainable-resources-pacific/

http://reusegraywater.com/about-us/

Rubin, K.E., The Valuation of Hotels and Motels for Assessment Purposes, 1984

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leverage-point_modeling

Meadows, D.H., & Wright, D. (2009). Thinking in systems: a primer, London: Earthscan.






Sustainable Tourism (Final)
Insight diagram

This model demonstrates the intertwining relationship between the economic contribution of industrial logging and that of adventure tourism (dominated by mountain biking).

In terms of the revenue from industrial logging at Derby, it is driven by demand of timber and the timber price. However, the forest resources are limited, which will put constraints on the expansion of industrial logging due to regrowth rate and existing forestation.

The tourism can bring economic benefits to Derby from hospitality and selling tickets to local adventure activities. The hospitality income can be determined by the average length of holidaying at Derby and average local pricing for accommodation, food and beverages and related essentials. Tickets sales are largely affected by the similar factors such as average expense per activity and average number of activities that tourists usually choose. Having explained the streams of possible income from the tourism, the key driver for tourism income is the desire or demand to travel. Unlikely logging, tourism is renewable and perpetual. However, logging can be conceived as a major constraint on attracting as many tourists as the economy so desires.

This is because deforestation caused by logging will diminish the natural scenery at Derby and in turn, the tourist operations and attractions based upon natural scenery. Loss of forest resources is likely to make Derby less attractive to visitors.

In short, the tourism and logging both provides economic benefits to Derby but in a competing relationship. However, the sustainability possessed by tourism cannot be rivaled by industrial logging in long term. Logging revenue reveals its advantage at inception of observed time period. Such advantage wears out over the time due to reduction in resources and sluggish regrowth. Eventually. the tourism income turns into the major player. To understand how they co-exist, please simulate the model. 

Yuanhao Luo 583089 Logging v Mountain Biking
Insight diagram
Ijssel Delta Final