Human-Centered Climate and Energy Modeling

Behavior does not occur in isolation but is impacted by our social and physical environments. Research from psychology however often neglects such influences and dynamics in the study of human behavior. Moreover, policy making is primarily interested in accumulated effects of behavior on the level of larger societal systems rather than individual behavior, a circumstance which may explain the limited consideration of psychological research in (climate) policy design. Techno economic research fills this gap by using dynamic system modelling, but these models largely consider humans to be mere rational agents and thus neglect the basic principles of human decision making.

We address this issue by developing modelling frameworks based on state-of-the-art psychological research, adress this issue by developing modelling frameworks based state--of--the--art psychollogical research, paying particular attention to the integration of experimental human decision data into system modelling. In a recent study, we developed an agentbased model, grounded in experimental data, on the co-adoption of low-carbon energy technologies. This study highlighted that, even with decreasing investment costs, accelerating the diffusion of these technologies largely depends on the “right” (i.e., specific) policy mix.

In the Horizon Europe project DIAMOND, we work together with world-leading modelling teams to integrate experimental data into Integrated Assessment Models. The models serve as the scientific tool used to inform policy makers about climate, economic, and societal trajectories and play a key role in the assessments of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The project bears the potential to improve the representation.

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