Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

CLIMATE MODELLING

Accounting for the human factor

One of the greatest sources of uncertainty about future climate change is the path greenhouse gas emissions will take. Now research using a coupled model of human behaviour and climate finds that individual behaviour can significantly alter emissions trajectories and global temperature.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1

References

  1. Stern, P. C. Am. Psychol. 66, 303–314 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Gifford, R. Am. Psychol. 66, 290–302 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Janssen, M. A. & Ostrom, E. in Handbook of Computational Economics (eds Tesfatsion, L. & Judd, K. L.) 1465–1509 (Elsevier, 2006).

  4. McNamara, D. E. & Werner, B. T. J. Geophys. Res. 113, F01016 (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gillingham, K. et al. Modeling Uncertainty in Climate Change: A Multi-Model Comparison Working Paper 21637 (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2015).

  6. Podestá, G., Weber, E. U., Laciana, C., Bert, F. & Letson, D. in Decision Modeling and Behavior in Complex and Uncertain Environments (eds Kugler, T. et al.) 57–76 (Springer, 2008).

  7. McNamara, D. E. & Keeler, A. Nat. Clim. Change 3, 559–562 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Beckage, B. et al. Nat. Clim. Change https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41558-017-0031-7 (2018).

  9. Ajzen, I. Organizational Behav. Human Decision Processes 50, 179–211 (1991).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Zaval, L., Keenan, E. A., Johnson, E. J. & Weber, E. Nat. Clim. Change 4, 143–147 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Stern, P. C., Gardner, G. T., Vandenbergh, M. P., Dietz, T. & Gilligan, J. M. Environ. Sci. Technol. 44, 4847–4848 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Dietz, T., Gardner, G. T., Gilligan, J., Stern, P. C. & Vandenbergh, M. P. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 18452–18456 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. An, L. Ecolog. Modelling 229, 25–36 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jonathan M. Gilligan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gilligan, J.M. Accounting for the human factor. Nature Clim Change 8, 14–15 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-017-0038-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-017-0038-0

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing