S5 Ep48: Backstage: Making the most of climate modelling

In this episode of 'The Sound of Economics', Bruegel senior
fellow Georg Zachmann continues the Backstage series with an
interview with Massimo Tavoni, professor at the Politecnico di
Milano and director of EIEE.





The discussion point is climate modelling - specifically its use
and the necessity of complexity in some of its formulations.





Some climate models are very straightforward, and this allows for
the building of a solid base. But interaction between complex
systems requires consideration of a multitude of factors, not all
of which are easily measurable.





Modelling can be productive as a means of plotting a route to a
policy goal such as the Paris Agreement. And the outcomes are
best viewed as producing only one of many possible routes that
could be taken.





These models are increasingly relevant for numerous sectors, all
beginning to factor in not only climate change but climate-change
policy.





If you are interested in more on this topic, we recommend the
Bruegel Blueprint co-written by Georg Zachmann with Grégory
Caleys and Gustav Fredriksson on the distributional effects of
climate policies.