Two weeks ago the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change delivered the clear message that climate change is real, that humans are to blame and that if something isn't done to change this and quick, life on Earth will be done in 50 years.With the recent proof of human intransigence delivered by the U.S. Congress, one has to ask, how will we do this? The first impulse is to relegate the responsibility to act to national or global institutions, but that might not be the best course of action according to Vítor Vasconcelos, Francisco Santos and Jorge M. Pacheco from the ATP-group at Lisbon.
They used game theory, which is a branch of mathematics that studies social interactions, to show that any action taken by national or global actors is just as good as no action at all. Think of how effective the UN climate change message has been so far.
They found that best way to act is at the local level, with a punish-thy-neighbor approach. Click on the link for a full understanding of why this method will work.
And after all, doesn't everyone like games?
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