10Agent‐Based Explorations of Environmental Consumption in Segregated Networks
Adam Douglas Henry and Heike I. Brugger
10.1 Introduction
What leads individuals to adopt more environmentally sustainable patterns of consumption? Developing a better understanding of the factors that shape consumption choices that influence the environment – behaviours we refer to broadly as ‘environmental consumption’ – is of great practical importance. Theories of environmental consumption can inform strategies to help reduce human ecological footprints, or the negative influences that humans have on natural systems (Dietz et al., 2007). Reducing our collective footprint is essential to protect fragile natural systems in the face of rapid (and inevitable) population growth, urbanization and economic development (Clark and Dickson, 2003; Kates et al., 2001; Rosa et al., 2009).
But when it comes to promoting more desirable patterns of environmental consumption, such as increased investment in energy‐efficient technologies, we face a fundamental problem: one cannot directory engineer desired human behaviours. At best we can design interventions that provide the right sets of conditions and incentives that are needed to encourage the desired outcomes. So, although it is generally not possible to force humans to behave in more sustainable ways, one can intervene in the complex systems that determine environmental behaviours in an attempt to incentivize or otherwise spur more sustainable consumption patterns. ...