IAM, System theory and Daisy world Flashcards
1
Q
What is a IAM?
A
- Stands for Intergrated Assessment Model
- Used to answer questions about climate change in a “what if” format
- Includes the physical laws which drive natural systems and the changing human society
- “Intergrated as they combine different strands of knowledge
2
Q
How do they work?
A
- Compare the cost and benefit of avoiding different types of warming
- “Social cost of carbon”
- Complex IAMs look at energy tecnhonogy, land use trends and etc that affect GHG
- Does not measure economic damage as a result of climate change
- Each model is different, some are mainly bound by physical laws, others by economic theory
3
Q
Early 1980’s
A
The first complex IAM emerged out of Standford university
4
Q
Common results
A
- To limit net warming to 1.5, global CO2 emmissions mst peak and then decline rapidly to net 0
- Temperatures breach 1.5 around midlimit, warming reaches 1.6 and 1.8 before falling later in the century
5
Q
Systems theory
A
- Study of systems and their pattern of changes
- Goal is to model a system’s dynamics, constraints and conditions
6
Q
Active structures
A
Components that interact in behaviour and processes
7
Q
Passive structures
A
Components that are being processed
8
Q
James Lovelock
A
Created Daisyworld to illistrate the plasuablity of the Gaia hypothesis
9
Q
What is Daisy world?
A
- A computer simulation about a hypothetical world orbiting a star, whose radiant energy is slowly increasing or decreasing
- Meant to mimic the important elements of the Earth-sun system
10
Q
What happens on Daisyworld?
A
- Daisyworld only has two daisies, white which reflect light and black which absorb it
- The simulation tracks the two daisy populations and the surface temp as the sun rays grow more powerful
- This model was to demostrate that feedback mechanisms can evolves from the actions of a self-interested organism
