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Earth System Analysis pp 303–320Cite as

Modelling Global Environmental Change: Improving Human Dimensions Components

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Abstract

Modelling, which is an essential tool for improving understanding, has been a basic component of natural science global change research efforts. Even though these efforts acknowledge the importance of human interactions in global change, they have not done much to incorporate human dimensions in their models. Human dimensions are either put in a black box or incorporated by making relatively simple assumptions about human behavior. Social science modelling efforts have been limited and have focused primarily on energy production and consumption.

Efforts to improve modelling of human dimensions of global environmental change and the human dimensions components in broader models of global change must be based on a modular approach, where the modules are defined in terms of the boundaries of states. Human behavior is not uniform across the globe, but instead varies tremendously depending upon institutional context. Institutions include the structures, rules, norms, expectations, and traditions that shape human behavior. Following a modular approach in modelling human dimensions of global environmental change means that there must be modules for the largest and most important countries and political units. Other countries can be aggregated with these countries or in regionally defined units.

There are strong traditions in economics and political science that utilize rational choice and expected utility approaches on which efforts to improve modelling of human dimensions of global environmental change can be based.

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Authors
  1. Harold K. Jacobson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), P.O. Box 60 12 03, D-14412, Potsdam, Germany

    Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber  & Volker Wenzel  & 

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Jacobson, H.K. (1998). Modelling Global Environmental Change: Improving Human Dimensions Components. In: Schellnhuber, HJ., Wenzel, V. (eds) Earth System Analysis. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-52354-0_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-52354-0_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-52356-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-52354-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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