Integrated Assessment Models of Global Change

Integrated Assessment Models of Global Change (IAM) are computer models which integrate sets of equations describing the interwoven evolution of the different sub-systems making up the Earth system:-human production systems and their economic counterparts, including exchanges, financial and monetary issues;-coupled atmospheric and oceanic systems;-terrestrial and marine ecological systems.IAM are based on a detailed description of geodynamic and ecological phenomena involving general circulation models (GCM), atmospheric chemical models and ecological models. However, economic issues are central to the assessment, through the coupling of these natural science models with macroeconomic models.The goal of IAM is to produce a unified picture of climate change oriented towards the evaluation of the consequences of this phenomenon (negative and positive impacts), taking into account the driving forces behind climate change (demography, economy, development..), possible mitigation processes (nuclear and renewable energies, DSM, carbon capture and sequestration) and adaptation processes (changes in production methods in agriculture, protective infrastructures, etc.).