Models of Human-Environment Interaction

The lecture will provide an introduction and overview to models of human-environment interaction, a field of increasing relevance in integrative geography, complexity science, conflict research, environmental, climate and sustainability science. The lecture will describe basic model types (dynamic systems and spatial models, statistical and probability models, complex adaptive systems and cellular automata, agent-based and network models, game theory, decision and optimization models, integrated assessment and world models) and associated simulation and software tools. Instructive application areas will be used to demonstrate the relevance of models at the intersection of climate and environmental systems with human and socio-economic systems, including climate change, energy landscapes, natural resources (water, food, forests, biodiversity, fishery, minerals), environmental conflict and cooperation, migration, collective action, communication and sustainable development. The course will be offered in SICSS and geography, together with an exercise that will allow to do practical work with simulation tools but is not required for participants of the lecture.

Students achieve knowledge and basic skills about models and integrated frameworks of human-environment interaction, including major model types, computational means and software tools, and key phenomena at the intersection of human and natural systems.