19.10.2022 - Seminar Lecture Series: How can decision analysis help to navigate difficult trade-offs?

Dr. Fridolin Haag (Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research) 

Abstract

As much as we aim for synergies, in practice we still need to make difficult trade-offs between different SDGs or other objectives. In this talk, I will introduce how we can approach this issue from a Decision Analysis perspective. Based on case studies on wastewater planning and nature conservation, I will show how we can create quantitative decision models to evaluate alternatives over multiple objectives and from different stakeholder perspectives. This can help identify key sensitivities of the evaluation: What if a stakeholder was not willing to trade-off a decrease in pollutant load with a much higher operational cost? What if we were less uncertain about energy consumption of an option? To support the interactive exploration of such questions, we have developed the web app ValueDecisions. I will show how Decision Analysis offers a transparent way to structure and evaluate multi-dimensional problems — such as multi-criteria decisions, indicator development, or Life Cycle Assessment. This also can make it a valuable tool in sustainability and nexus research.

Date: 19.10.2022 14:30-15:30 hr CET - virtual