Collaboration workshop: Developing a robust simulation modelling ecosystem for transition impact studies

RESCUE held a modellers' workshop this past 24 April 2024, together with the European project LANDMARC. The workshop brought together modelling teams from the two projects to discuss challenges and opportunities for improving the integration of stakeholder engagement into integrated assessment modelling (IAM) and Earth system modelling (ESM) of land-based climate mitigation technologies (LMTs).

A number of modelling groups from at least 17 institutions were invited to participate in the workshop, including researchers from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), JIN Climate and Sustainability, Uni Kassel, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), and LMU Munich, among others. 

With over 40 attendees, the workshop was opened by chairs Etienne Tourigny (BSC) and Eise Spijker (JIN), who provided context of the goals of stakeholder engagement across the different projects. It was noted that while stakeholder input is often seen as important, it is commonly missing from actual project design and implementation from EU-funded research. The workshop aimed to discuss how to better incorporate stakeholder perspectives into modelling to create a more effective modelling ecosystem.

Over the course of six sessions, modellers representing different institutions and projects presented topics such as the challenges in representing stakeholder-preferred LMT portfolios, approaches to multi-level modelling, regional engagement efforts, challenges of aligning IAMs with stakeholder scales and needs, and reflections on synergies and gaps across the LANDMARC-RESCUE modelling framework. Stakeholder engagement lessons from LANDMARC’s regional case studies were also discussed. The workshop concluded with an open discussion where additional perspectives were shared. In addition, a collaborative document was used during the sessions to gather questions and comments, and encourage interaction and further knowledge exchange among the participants. 

Several key themes emerged from the discussions, which included the need for:

• earlier and more targeted stakeholder input to inform model structures and assumptions
• qualitative stakeholder engagement focused on feasibility in addition to quantitative model outputs
• standardization of regional stakeholder protocols while respecting cultural differences
• multi-level modelling approaches to interface global IAMs with finer-grained regional models
• representing a wider portfolio of context specific LMTs beyond those currently in global models
• developing co-designed stakeholder-informed scenario narratives.

Overall, the workshop provided a valuable forum for modellers to learn from stakeholder engagement experiences, identify synergies and address gaps across modelling initiatives. Continued collaboration will help strengthen the integration of stakeholder inputs to better support climate adaptation and mitigation decision making.

More information about the workshop can be found in the agenda below, also available in our Resource Library page.