The Multiagent Analysis of Social Progress in Energy Behavior: The System Dynamics Methodology

Global warming represents a serious threat to human civilization. CO
₂
emissions have been considered to be the main basis for the incredible increase in the earth's surface temperature in recent years. Most emissions result from human activities and are associated with the energy industry. Thus, developing an extensive framework of effective agents for managing this situation and the various relationships involved is important. Accordingly, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive system dynamics model, which is based on the systems thinking approach, to address the issue of global warming, in terms of households' energy consumption behaviors. The proposed model provides a broad overview of key agents affecting energy consumption, including government/public sector, households, and power industry. This model is verified by simulating different scenarios.