From Stakeholder Engagement to Inclusivity: Advancing Participatory Modeling for Net-Zero Sustainable Development

Despite the significant advancements of Integrated Assessment Models [IAMs] in recent years, criticisms underscore their limitations in effectively responding to questions on climate change adaptation and mitigation (4). Such critiques highlight the need for IAMs to be not only technologically advanced but also transparently accessible to both the modeling community and stakeholders (1).

The Horizon Europe project “Delivering the next generation of Open Integrated Assessment Models for net-zero, sustainable development” [DIAMOND] seeks to bridge these gaps. By leveraging participatory and transdisciplinary approaches, DIAMOND aims to enhance, extend, and open up IAMs, aligning them more closely with climate action and sustainable development objectives through open and responsible stakeholder engagement.

Engaging a broad range of stakeholders and working collaboratively with them stands out as pivotal in bolstering the credibility and effectiveness of modeling results (5; 6). Acknowledging policymakers’ inputs further strengthens the potential integration of modeling results into policy-making processes (1). This paper presents co-created comprehensive good practice guidelines for inclusive stakeholder engagement, grounded in a case study of the DIAMOND project. The focus is on establishing an inclusive modeling environment that ensures representation and decision making embody diverse stakeholders’ perspectives, knowledge, and interests, including those of policymakers. Utilizing a transdisciplinary approach facilitates a move towards genuine inclusivity, ensuring all relevant parties, regardless of their background or expertise, are given the opportunity to participate, contribute, and have their voices heard in the decision-making process (2). Employing a mixed-methods approach that combines a literature review, stakeholder elicitation, an online survey, and semi-structured interviews, this study triangulates these methods to comprehensively assess collaborative dynamics, adaptive strategies, and the operational context, providing a nuanced understanding of the complex interactions at play.

This paper endeavors to guide modelers, irrespective of their modeling background, towards producing relevant and actionable results that are aligned with real-world implications and policy needs (3). Through assessing and integrating the dimension of “inclusivity” within participatory modeling processes and demonstrating its integration within a transdisciplinary framework, this study aspires to offer valuable insights to the broader modeling community. The insights derived can empower modelers across disciplines to provide policymakers with evidence-based approaches for designing effective climate change adaptation measures and informing mitigation decisions, paving the way for better-informed policies guiding society towards a sustainable and net-zero future.

References:

(1) Doukas, H., Nikas, A. (2019). European Journal of Operational Research, 280, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2019.01.017
(2) Ernst, A., Fischer-Hotzel, A., Schumann, D. (2017). Energy Research & Social Science, 29, 23-35. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.04.006
(3) Jordan, R., Gray, S., Zellner, M., Glynn, P. D., Voinov, A., et al. (2018). Earth’s Future, 6, 1046–1057. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EF000841
(4) Keppo, I., Butnar, I., Bauer, N., Caspani, M., Edelenbosch, O., et al. (2021). Environmental Research Letters, 16, 053006. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abe5d8
(5) McGookin C., Gallachóir B., Byrne, E. (2021). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review, 151, 111504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111504
(6) Pisano, U., Lange, L., Lepuschitz, K., Berger, G. (2015). European Sustainable Development Network. ESDN Quarterly Report, 39.