An adaptive multicriteria control methodology in sustainable development. Case study: A CO2 ecotax

The authors have proposed in an associated paper a control methodology applicable to complex socio-economic systems. In this paper a case in sustainable development is discussed for illustration. It is assumed that an ecotax is charged on fossil fuel consumption, in order to reduce CO2 emissions responsible for global warming. In the first stage a model is set up to describe the potential of the ecotax for encouraging fossil fuel savings. In the second stage a set of taxing strategies is analysed by simulation and a panel of policy-makers selects a taxing policy. The third step consists in implementing and monitoring the tax effectiveness in real-time. To that aim, a virtual future is imagined in which several external occurrences require adaptive measures.