Complex networks in adaptation and mitigation to climate change

Abstract

The human-nature interaction is threatened by a changing climate. Innovative solutions are needed to limit the global warming, while promoting a sustainable future. Policy and action require new approaches that represent the complexity of and the interactions between multiple domains. The thesis shows how complex networks can achieve this goal. The thesis is structured in four chapters and presents applications in three domains: adaptation, mitigation and innovation. The first chapter maps the global landscape of climate services and shows how collaboration between different institutions stimulates the creation of information-based and technology-fueled innovations. The second chapter studies hydropower project financing, investors’ behavior, and the optimal allocation of finance to support a just energy transition at global level. The third chapter assesses and measures the gap between research and action in Europe by combining network science and machine learning in an innovative and scalable framework. The fourth chapter explores how networks of words can inform about the optimal business models for climate services.