Sustainable Systems Forum: From Paris to Glasgow- Integrated Assessment Modeling for Deep Decarbonization
abstract
Over 100 nations have issued new commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the United Nations Conference of the Parties, or COP26, in Glasgow. We analyzed those new pledges, or nationally determined commitments (NDCs), and assessed how they could shape Earth’s climate. We find the latest NDCs could chart a course where limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius and under within this century is now significantly more likely. However, we are still far away from the stated goal of limiting temperature change to 1.5 degrees or less. In this talk, I’ll be discussing the integrated assessment modeling tool we used to analyze emissions and climate: Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM), and how these tools can help provide quantitative basis for assessing climate pledges. Furthermore, using the recent U.S. Long-Term Strategy as an example, I’ll discuss how integrated assessment modeling tools can help chart out deep decarbonization pathways towards net-zero emissions to bridge the gap between the current climate action and the long-term goal of limiting climate change to well-below 2 degrees or 1.5 degrees.
BIO
Haewon McJeon is a Senior Research Scientist jointly appointed at the Joint Global Change Research Institute and the Center for Global Sustainability through a partnership between the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland. His research focuses on the development of low-carbon, carbon-neutral, and carbon-negative pathways for climate change mitigation. He has also published widely on the role of fossil fuels in climate change, decarbonization technologies, and decision making under uncertainty.
Haewon served as the lead Integrated Assessment Modeler for the U.S. Long-Term Strategy. He also served as the modeling lead for the America’s Pledge project. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with government agencies, foundations, and the private sector.
Dr. McJeon holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s degree in Environmental Policy from University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Seoul National University.