Rural Sanitation Sustainability Dynamics: Gaining Insight through Participatory and Simulation Modeling.

Improved sanitation provides many benefits to human health and well-being and is integral to achieving Sustainable Development Goal Six. However, many nations, including most of sub-Saharan Africa, are not on track to meeting sanitation targets. Recognizing the inherent complexity of environmental health, we used systems thinking to study sanitation sustainability in Uganda.

Systems Thinking for Effective Interventions in Global Environmental Health.

Environmental health risks such as household air pollution due to burning solid fuels, inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene, and chemical pollution disproportionately affect the poorest and most marginalized populations. While billions of dollars and countless hours of research have been applied toward addressing these issues in both development and humanitarian contexts, many interventions fail to achieve or sustain desired outcomes over time. This pattern points to the perpetuation of linear thinking, despite the complex nature of environmental health within these contexts.