Proactive community adaptation to climate change through social transformation and behavioural change

We recently submitted “D5.1 Report on the conceptual framework for behavioural change understanding”. This document lays the groundwork for development of the Multi-Agent Computer Model (MACM) designed to analyse how communities respond to climate change challenges, identify tipping points, and promote transformations toward climate resilience.

This framework integrates innovative approaches to model complex social-ecological systems (SES), combining methods like the HUMAT and MOA framework and the nADICO institutional grammar. Each of these components plays a unique role in simulating the interactions between individuals, social networks, and institutions, all contributing to decision-making processes that could lead to impactful climate-adaptive behaviours.

The report outlines how the model addresses social processes on both inter-personal and inter-institutional levels. These insights help illustrate the conditions under which communities may form groups, mobilize around environmental causes, and ultimately influence policy decisions that reinforce climate resilience. An initial application of the model will be conducted in the Bergen case study, showcasing its ability to simulate decision-making dynamics for sustainable land use and community engagement in environmental actions.

Looking ahead, this framework will be further refined with data from the other PRO-CLIMATE case studies, which will help scale the model for broader applications. By identifying social-ecological tipping points, the PRO-CLIMATE project aims to empower policymakers, community leaders, and citizens alike to understand and activate conditions that drive positive environmental change.