The butterfly effect

Everything has an impact on everything. In relation to the eco system we often think that our actions are insignificant. But every action has a ripple effect and can cause a chain reaction for major change.

The butterfly effect is a concept derived from chaos theory, which suggests that small causes can have large effects in complex systems. The term "butterfly effect" is often used metaphorically to describe how a minor event or action, such as the flapping of a butterfly's wings, can set off a chain of events that leads to significant consequences or outcomes in the future.

The concept was popularised by mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz, who coined the term in the context of weather prediction. Lorenz's work showed that even minute changes in the initial conditions of a weather system, such as the air temperature or wind speed, could eventually lead to drastically different outcomes.

We often think our actions are insignificant and did not make a difference. But the truth is they did, and when compounded together, they make for massive changes.

For example, increased pollution has an impact on the ozone layer, this has an impact on climate change, climate change has an impact on weather patterns, this has an impact on farming techniques. Poor farming harvest means less available crops, fruits and veggies. This has a direct impact on our lifestyle and the food we are able to buy.

Most recently, in March 2023 there was a shortage of tomatoes in the UK due to weather changes in Spain, as they are exported from Spain to the UK. There were unusually high temperatures from the end of the summer period until December 2022 followed by the arrival of sudden low temperatures in January 2023 which impacted the crops. The shortage in supply meant that there were fewer tomatoes to export and therefore fewer on the supermarket shelves here in the UK.

“We are more connected and more dependant on nature than we realise”

What other changes have you noticed? Drop them in the comments below!