How Can Computer Simulation be Useful in Informing Environmental Policy and Practice?

Ricardo Garcia Mira University of A Coruña

Social simulation is a technique of increasing use that is proving to be a useful and powerful tool in informing policy and decision making in diverse fields. The main objective of computer simulation is to visualize the impact that a policy or a combination of policies can have on the achievement of certain results (for example, activation of social changes). It requires a specific approach that has to involve multiple actors in the organizational field, but also multiple disciplines within a transdisciplinarity framework. This approach should be oriented to co-produce knowledge together in a collaborative context. Equally important is considering a solid theoretical framework, without which a simulation has less value. In this presentation, some of the most commonly used methods that comply well with the objective of informing environmental policy and practices will be discussed. In particular, some examples of cases corresponding to the field of prediction of environmental behavior, and activation of changes in lifestyles will be described. Some practices are also proposed to improve the correct application and efficiency of a simulation method throughout the implementation process.

The heterogeneity, as well as the different methodologies, agendas and aspirations of the different actors and organizations that intervene in a process, complicate the design of the simulation. In this paper we analyze the obstacles and drivers that can enhance an effective and rigorous work. Special focus is placed on describing the characteristics and variables contributing to the emergence of resistance on the policy side. In this way, some techniques are proposed to anticipate such resistances that can be critical when designing effective policies. Finally, the risks involved in the production of artifacts are discussed when working with low theoretical support, especially in the adoption of decisions to inform the operation of complex systems.