Mathematical Thinking for Sustainable Development

Abstract

The Earth is on the verge of losing stable and human-friendly living conditions. Human activity, which is degrading the environment on a planetary scale and causing climate warming, is bringing about this. For over 3 billion years, interactions between the geosphere and the biosphere controlled global environmental conditions. The state of the Earth's system changed due to forces caused by external disturbances or internal processes within the geosphere or biosphere. Today, however, there is a new force—human activity—and the anthroposphere has become an additional functional element of the Earth system, capable of altering its state (Richardson et al., 2023). The climate and environmental crisis requires swift and effective action—transforming the economy and businesses, enacting wise legal regulations, and, most importantly, driving social change towards responsible consumption and pro-environmental attitudes. However, knowledge about the environmental crisis does not sufficiently permeate social awareness. While some improvement is visible, much must be done (Stefaniuk, 2021). People struggle to access accurate information amidst the flood of ecological fake news, and they have difficulty understanding how their daily choices and activities contribute to environmental degradation, as well as the consequences this brings for them and the planet. Environmental education, which is insufficient in schools, does not help (Gosek, 2023).
The implementation of the concept of sustainable development, which emerged as a remedy for the crisis and was intended to lead to economic and social changes, continues to face numerous obstacles despite the efforts of communities and states. The ease with which disruptions in action are justified by external factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, is noticeable (Council of Ministers..., 2023, pp. 13-14). It also seems that there is a lack of understanding of the interdependencies between the Sustainable Development Goals. Recognising these connections and strategically planning for them would enable better control over their implementation. However, this requires specific cognitive competencies that allow these relationships to be decoded.
This paper aims to demonstrate how mathematical and systems thinking can support the resolution of the environmental crisis and enhance the effectiveness of implementing sustainable development principles. The study employs an analytical-synthetic method based on literature and reports. The starting point is a synthetic overview of the contemporary climate and environmental crisis and the challenges in implementing sustainable development. In the next step, systems thinking and mathematical thinking are applied to understand the causes of the crisis and the barriers to sustainable development implementation. The analysis shows that effectively overcoming the crisis requires understanding the complexity of systems (natural and their connected systems—social and economic) and the intricate interactions between the Sustainable Development Goals. For this, systems thinking, supported by mathematical thinking, is essential. Developing these competencies is therefore crucial in education for sustainable development and is one of the conditions for successfully addressing the climate and environmental crisis.