There is a lot that goes into managing a government with regards to people, profit, and planet. The Triple Bottom Line simulator gives a lot of insight into the difficulties governments face in order to balance the population, economy, and the environment. It is definitely complicated to find a way to accommodate the needs of the people while also considering other duties like the profit and the health of the planet. With this in mind, the Triple Bottom Line simulator is certainly a helpful tool in learning what it takes to fully manage people, profit, and planet.
After using the simulator, I realised how difficult it can be to maintain a balance that benefits all aspects of a society and its environment. You have to build energy systems so the people can have power in their homes, as well as run services and businesses; but this can negatively affect the environment. It is difficult to find ways that benefit all aspects of the simulator. If you want to be more sustainable in terms of energy production, it will cost more money to invest in cleaner and renewable sources. But if you use cheaper and less efficient or less clean energy sources, your population becomes less healthy and you will need to put money into fixing that by putting the proper services in place. Through using the Triple Bottom Line balance simulator, I learned population, profit, and planet are all intertwined and the decisions you make in any one of them will affect the other two.
Further, I realized how difficult it is to balance supply and demand with the limited resources you are given. Certain energy sources can become outdated and not entirely beneficial to the total population or to the environment as a whole. Its hard to find energy sources that accommodate the needs of the population and economy, with the resources you have; this is without even considering the effects they may have on the planet. I think that this was the whole point of the simulator; to get to you to reflect on how difficult it can be to truly become sustainable when trying to meet the needs of a population and economy.
In conclusion, the Triple Bottom Line balance simulator is definitely a great tool for learning how to balance a population and its needs, while also considering the environment and how difficult it can be to create a sustainable society. It takes a lot of thought and time to figure out ways that take all three aspects into account. We need energy for the population, but that affects profit and planet; and you will have to make a decision to either choose the cheaper route or the more environmentally ethical route. Clearly, the balance simulator helps you understand how difficult it can be to consider people, profit, and planet when running a government.
Mohawk College Climate Change 