The Pentatope Model: A holistic approach for analysing and reviewing environmental complexity

Abstract

With an increasing societal complexity, dominated by global geopolitical structures and processes, also large-scale environmental issues such as global warming emerge. Dealing with complexity requires a systemic approach, going beyond classical tools of decision-making and modelling. The Pentatope Model aims at providing in a holistic approach, combining five frameworks suitable for environmental analysis in a societal context. It considers also non-physical values and interdisciplinarity to develop a general tool for analysis of environmental problems at a broad and aggregated level. This paper introduces the idea of environmental systemic thinking in the water domain and briefly describes the frameworks considered.