From Wikipedia:

__________

A Cascade Effect is an unforeseen chain of events due to an act affecting a system. If there is a possibility that the cascade effect will have a negative impact on the system, it is possible to analyze the effects with a consequence/impact analysis.
__________

Cascade effects have been described for natural events (the removal of one species influencing an ecosystem enough to result in the loss of other species), in science and in finance. There is just one quibble I have with the definition, however: they're not always unforeseen.

Sometimes, people have to make decisions based on factors they cannot control, and the result of failure to account for undesired behavior or unexpected results can often be foreseen. Take, for example, the old For want of a nail rhyme:

__________

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
__________

That's a cascade effect.

It plays out in life, if someone loses their job and ends up on the streets, or can't afford healthcare. It plays out in economics -- a major plant shuts down in a small down, or a mine closes, and the surrounding population is devastated. The larger businesses like hotels and some restaurants and movie theaters close; perhaps that causes some means of public transportation like trains or small airports to close, which further squeezes the area's economic lifeblood...and on it goes.

These effects are globally observable when it comes to the topic of climate change:

One shouldn't confuse the Cascade Effect for a Rube Goldberg effect, even though I think both share a distant relationship with a chaotic little butterfly and its constant net-in-hand pursuer, Murphy.

While we're on the topic, here's an example of a Rube Goldberg device, just for you:

Happy Saturday. Relax a bit, and remember:

This is an Open Thread, and you're double-parked in the Twilight Zone...