Thesis subject

Individual climate adaptation and mitigation behaviour

The Environmental Systems Analysis Group provides the possibility for students to do their thesis in collaboration with our group. This is one of many possible thesis subjects. Please feel free to contact Dr De Koning (right) for more information.

Climate adaptation and mitigation policies are often focused on a national level. E.g., how do we reduce emissions to meet with the Paris agreements, or how to reduce the risks of future climate hazards such as floods and droughts. But a rigid top-down approach is not necessarily effective, and existing rules and regulations make mandatory adaptation measures complicated to implement. Hence, it is important to focus on voluntary climate adaptation/mitigation behaviour adopted by individual households, businesses and firms. How do individuals perceive the hazards caused by climate change? What do farmers do to protect their crops against expected droughts or floods? How can you incentivise individuals to take precautionary action against the hazards of climate change? Or how can you ensure that households reduce their carbon footprint and take their responsibility as part of the solution?

These questions are broad and can be tackled in wide a range of case studies, from drought-resistant farms in the Netherlands to urban green infrastructure in Jakarta. I can particularly support quantitative methods such as cost-benefit analysis. Or if you really want to challenge yourself: you can work on an agent-based model and see how various assumptions on individual responses to policy measures work out on an larger scale.