Models at the interface between science and society: impacts and options
Authors
Claudia Pahl-Wostl
Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Science and Technology
Christoph Schlumpf
Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Science and Technology
Martin Büssenschütt
Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Science and Technology
Andreas Schönborn
Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Science and Technology
Jan Burse
Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Science and Technology
Keywords:
participatory integrated assessment, climate change, low energy society
Abstract
Within the CLEAR project a new approach to integrated assessment modelling has been developed for the participatory integrated assessment of regional climate change involving citizens’ focus groups. The climate change decision problem was structured by focusing separately on climate impacts and mitigation options. The attempt was made to link the different scales of the problem from the individual to the global level. The abstract topic of climate change was related to options on the level of a citizen’s individual lifestyle. The option of a low energy society was emphasised in order to embed the climate change decision problem in a wider range of societal concerns. Special emphasis was given to the characterisation and communication of uncertainties. The chosen approach allows different kinds of uncertainties in one framework to be addressed. The paper concludes with a summary of the experience made, and recommendations for the use of models in participatory integrated assessments.
