Two new members join IAMC

Starting September 2023, two new members join the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium:

The Institute of Carbon Neutrality (ICN-PKU), established in 2022, is dedicated to accelerating the transition to a carbon-free future in China and addressing the global climate crisis. Drawing upon Peking University’s interdisciplinary research approach and expertise in China, our institute focuses on three key areas: scientific foundations, engineering technology, and policy and governance. Through our research, we strive to deepen the understanding of climate change and the ecological environment, develop cutting-edge decarbonization technologies, facilitate comprehensive system-wide transition, and contribute to the development of a low-carbon economy through effective policy and governance measures. With a team of over 100 experts in engineering, economics, and public policy, our institute possesses the capability to develop and refine integrated assessment modeling techniques that address the unique challenges and opportunities in China. Leveraging advanced modeling platforms such as IMED (Integrated Model of Energy, Environment, and Economy for Sustainable Development) and GCAM-China (Global Change Analysis Model with China sub-national details), we actively contribute to the advancement of the Integrated Assessment Modeling community in China, enhancing the relevance and applicability of these models to real-world policy scenarios.

Recent publications on IAMS topics:
Ren, M., Huang, C., Wu, Y. et al. Enhanced food system efficiency is the key to China’s 2060 carbon neutrality target. Nat Food 4, 552–564 (2023).
Ma, T., Zhang, S., Xiao, Y. et al. Costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in China. Nat Commun 14, 6101 (2023).

The Penn State team focuses on driving innovations in modeling and analysis of multisector, multiscale land, energy, water, and infrastructure systems to advance understanding of complex risk and response behaviors. The team employs computational modeling and data science tools to investigate the following research questions: How does the characterization and quantification of hazards (flood, water scarcity, wildfire) propagate through the interconnected system, affecting the exposure and vulnerability of populations and physical systems to these hazards? How do these populations and physical systems respond to these risks and how do these responses feed back to the interconnected system? What are the features and characteristics that fundamentally give rise to resilient human and institutional response strategies.