Embedding Sectorial Models in an Integrated Platform for Assessing Climate Change Impacts

Abstract

Climate change in the last decades has occurred not only as a result of extreme natural factors but as the effect of human interference in environment well-functioning. Having this aspect in mind, a prominent need for a software tool to quantify the bidirectional link between human influence and the balance of the natural system has emerged. This article presents such an on-line platform - CLIMSAVE Integrated Assessment Platform (IAP) - which aims to simulate and visualize a series of indicators covering a variety of key sectors such as: urban, forest, water in various states of aggregation, flood, agriculture, yield, and biodiversity. Each of these sectors has one or more corresponding simplified models that transpose the impact of climate change effects experienced by mankind into qualitative and quantitative data. Results presented at the end of this article confirm and validate the models integrated within the platform. The interactivity of the tool is enhanced by allowing the user to visualize output indicators with the help of GIS maps. The novelty introduced by CLIMSAVE IAP consists in offering a big picture that comprises the interactions between important sectors rather than a narrow and isolated image of each sector.