Unseen vicious cycles often drive problems.

Vicious cycles are amplifying climate change, so we need urgent climate action to stop this amplification. Australia can benefit by acting now and becoming a renewable energy superpower.

Counsellors can help their clients by identifying vicious cycles driving their presenting problem – and virtuous cycles supporting recovery.

Vicious cycles driving climate change.

• This cycle is the Arctic ice-albedo feedback cycle, one driver of global heating.
• And there are more of these climate dynamics bringing more extreme heat, fires, floods, and migration. See: The Critical Danger: The vicious cycles driving climate change.
• See the climate action pages on this website.

Vicious cycles driving personal problems

I worked as a problem gambling counsellor and developed a simple, practical way of working with clients: suggesting a vicious cycle that was driving the client’s presenting problem. In a counselling session with client Zed, I identified the following vicious cycle that drove his gambling.

• Here is a description of this client’s counselling session.
• These ideas have evolved into a framework for understanding behaviour, which could be useful for a wide range of client problems.
• See the counselling pages on this website.

Vicious cycles and system theory

People are often unaware of the cycles of cause and effect that shape their lives, societies, and environment.

“Structures [feedback cycles] of which we are unaware hold us prisoner. Conversely, learning to see the structures within which we operate begins a process of freeing ourselves from previously unseen forces and ultimately mastering the ability to work with and change them.” (Senge, 1992, p 94)

Systems theory recognises amplifying feedback as a dynamic through which any system can transform itself: ecosystems, minds, and societies (Maruyama, 1968).

This insight gave this website its name, “Feedback Reigns”.

See the Systems theory and amplifying feedback cycles pages on this website.

Australia can be a renewable energy superpower.

There are advantages for Australia in taking action to limit climate change.

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Australia glows orange on this map, indicating that we have strong wind and solar resources relative to most developed countries. We also have abundant mineral resources, such as iron ore and lithium. So, Australia can take action on climate change and become a renewable energy superpower. This development would be a win for our climate, industry, jobs, and prosperity. See Australia: A Renewable Energy Superpower

Image Source: The global map of wind and solar potential is from the “Beyond Zero Emissions” 2015 publication “Renewable Energy Superpower”.

The massive cost of importing fossil fuels.

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Australia spends $61 billion annually on fossil fuel imports.

Expanding renewable energy and electrification would significantly reduce this enormous flow of money from Australia to countries such as Russia. Also, our energy supply would be secure, as we would no longer rely on easily disrupted fossil fuel imports. We only have a few weeks’ worth of emergency fossil fuel stored in Australia.

A vicious cycle driving right-wing populism

Climate action is needed to reduce mass displacement and migration. If we fail to limit mass migration, another vicious cycle is likely to accelerate climate change.

See: We need climate action to limit mass migration – and right-wing populism.

Climate change evidence

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See Evidence of human-caused climate change.

Convergence: The basis for scientific confidence

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See Convergence: The Basis for Scientific Confidence.

Site Author: Andrew Gunner

See my background.

Updated: 25 June 2026