Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Energy modellers should explore extremes more systematically in scenarios

  • Comment
  • Published:

From Nature Energy

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Scenarios are the primary tool for examining how current decisions shape the future, but the future is affected as much by out-of-ordinary extremes as by generally expected trends. Energy modellers can study extremes both by incorporating them directly within models and by using complementary off-model analyses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

References

  1. Farmer, J. D., Hepburn, C., Mealy, P. & Teytelboym, A. A. Environ. Resour. Econ. 62, 329–357 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Ma, T., Grubler, A., Nakicenovic, N. & Arthur, W. B. Technologies As Agents Of Change: A Simulation Model Of The Evolving Complexity Of The Global Energy System IIASA Interim Report: IR-08-021 (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria, 2008).

  3. Smith, M. D. J. Ecol. 99, 656–663 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Albeverio, S., Jentsch, V. & Kantz, H. Extreme Events in Nature and Society (Springer, 2006).

  5. Sathaye, J. & Shukla, P. R. Annu. Rev. Environ. Resou. r. 38, 137–168 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Riahi, K. et al. Technol. Forecast. So. c. Change 90, 8–23 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Blanford, G. J., Merrick, J. H., Bistline, J. E. T. & Young, D. T. Energy J. 39, https://doi.org/10.5547/01956574.39.3.gbla (2018).

  8. IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C (eds Masson-Delmotte, V. et al.) (WMO, 2018).

  9. O’Neill, B. C. et al. Clim. Change 122, 387–400 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Grubler, A. et al. Nat. Energy 3, 515–527 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Anable, J., Brand, C., Tran, M. & Eyre, N. Energy Policy 41, 125–138 (2012).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Mullally, S. L. & Maguire, E. A. Neuroscientist 20, 220–234 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Tversky, A. & Kahneman, D. Science 185, 1124–1131 (1974).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Gambhir, A. Joule 3, 1795–1798 (2019).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Assessment of Future Energy Demand: A Methodological Review Providing Guidance to Developers And Users of Energy Models And Scenarios (International Risk Governance Council, 2015).

  16. Gambhir, A., Cronin, C., Rogelj, J. & Workman, M. Using Futures Analysis To Develop Resilient Climate Change Mitigation Strategies (Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, ClimateWorks, 2019).

  17. Köhler, J., Turnheim, B. & Hodson, M. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 151, 119314 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Turnheim, B. et al. Glob. Environ. Change 35, 239–253 (2015).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Hancock, T. & Bezold, C. Healthc. Forum J. 37, 23–29 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Voros, J. Foresight 5, 10–21 (2003); https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/14636680310698379/full/html

  21. van Dorsser, C., Walker, W. E., Taneja, P. & Marchau, V. A. W. J. Futures 104, 75–84 (2018).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

D.L.M. acknowledges A. Grubler, K. Riahi, V. Krey and N. Nakicenovic (all of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis) for years of inspiration and thought experimentation. A.G. acknowledges funding support from the ClimateWorks Foundation. C.W. was supported by European Research Council Starting Grant #678799.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David L. McCollum.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

McCollum, D.L., Gambhir, A., Rogelj, J. et al. Energy modellers should explore extremes more systematically in scenarios. Nat Energy 5, 104–107 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0555-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-020-0555-3

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Navigation