Time: June 26, 2019, 3:00-5:00 pm
Location: 6F, Main Building (Energy and Environmental Policy Research Center)
Speaker: Dr. Leon Clarke (Research Professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland)
Introduction:
Integrated assessment modeling and research has been essential to discussions surrounding climate change decision making for decades. However, integrated assessment modeling and research has evolved substantially since its inception in the 1970s. Early models were aggregate in scale and focused largely on the goal of understanding overall CO2 emissions from the energy system. In contrast, the models of today have broader coverage and finer resolution and are capable of addressing issues from food security to air pollution. In addition, current modeling frameworks now consist of multiple models linked together, allowing researchers to explore issues across regional and temporal scales. Concurrent with these technical advances, integrated assessment modeling and research is now taking on an increasingly large range of topics. Current topics include, among others, climate mitigation, the implications of technological advances, water scarcity, climate impacts, food security, and air pollution. This talk will discuss the evolution of integrated assessment modeling, giving examples of recent research and pointing out challenges as the discipline continues to evolve. It will use the Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM) to illustrate this evolution and associated challenges.
Speaker Profile:
Dr. Leon Clarke is an expert in energy and environmental issues, with a focus on climate change, climate change mitigation strategies, energy technology options, and integrated assessment modeling. He is currently the Research Director for the Center for Global Sustainability and a Research Professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. He formerly led the Integrated Human Earth System Science Group and directed a range of integrated assessment modeling activities at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a collaboration between the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland. Dr. Clarke has served as an author and coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the National Climate Assessment, and the National Research Council. He has also led a number of multi-institution studies on climate mitigation. Dr. Clarke’s professional experience includes his current position, positions in two U.S. national laboratories, in energy consulting, and at an electric and gas utility. Dr. Clarke has a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.
(Hosted by: Energy and Environmental Policy Research Center, Research and Academic Exchange Center)
