Improving transparency of integrated assessment models related to climate change

Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) connect trends in future socio-economic and technological development with impacts on the environment, such as global climate change. Critics have taken issue with the transparency of IAM methods and assumptions as well as the transparency of assessments of IAMs by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change.

An article published in WIREs Climate Change that's co-authored by officials at the IPCC documents various activities underway to enhance the transparency of IAMs and their assessments.

"The purpose of this paper is to document how both the IAM community and IPCC are working to enhance transparency and to suggest some criteria for judging the success of these efforts," the authors wrote. "Transparency does not in itself guarantee scientific closure, but it facilitates debate and provides a clearer evidence base for policymakers."