Please note that this session was withdrawn and is no longer available in the respective programme. This withdrawal might have been the result of a merge with another session.

ITS5.3/NH9.26
Integrating socioeconomic and policy scenarios in climate impact research
Co-organized by
Convener: Guillaume Rohat (deceased)ECSECS | Co-convener: Lena Reimann

Assessing future climate risks requires a robust understanding of future climatic conditions as well as future socioeconomic conditions, which influence future exposure and vulnerability of the impacted systems. The new IPCC-guided scenarios framework – made up of climate scenarios (RCPs), socioeconomic scenarios (SSPs), and climate policies (SPAs) – is being increasingly used in climate change impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability (IAV) studies. This framework proved instrumental in exploring the relative contribution of socioeconomic development versus climate change to future climate risks/impacts. This session aims to (1) showcase the current state-of-the-art in the application of the new scenario framework to assess future climate risks in various contexts and at different temporal and spatial scales, (2) take stock of the challenges associated with the implementation of this framework in practice (e.g. data limitations, scalability, consistency between local scenarios and global boundary conditions), and (3) foster broader exchange on the use of socioeconomic and policy scenarios in climate impact research.
This session particularly welcomes:
• Submissions exploring the role of socioeconomic versus climatic changes in shaping future risks.
• Local, regional, and global-scale assessments of future climate risks using the new scenario framework.
• Studies exploring avoided impacts through mitigation and adaptation – resulting from shifts in emissions and socioeconomic development.
• Submissions exploring the dynamic interactions/feedbacks between climatic, socioeconomic, and policy conditions, e.g. how sea level rise and/or adaptation policies may affect population migration (hence exposure), or how urban sprawl may increase the heat hazard (urban heat island) or flood hazard (through soil sealing).