Global Energy System and Policy Analysis

Our group explores alternative energy and climate policy futures, employing computational modeling of the global energy, economy and land-use systems. Key aspects are the interactions between national policies and global outcomes and technology trends, and between short-term policy action and long-term climate, technology and sustainability outcomes. This requires an interdisciplinary approach bringing together insights from physics, engineering, economics, political science and psychology among others.

We are part of a global network of modelers developing and working with the open-source integrated assessment model ‘GCAM’, and participate in various model intercomparison projects. Our research informs policy-relevant assessments such as reports from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).