GAINS - An interactive tool for assessing international GHG mitigation regimes

Abstract

Mitigating greenhouse gases (GHGs) is key to reducing the long-term impacts of climate change. In this paper we present the GAINS system, i.e. a data warehouse with an online integrated assessment model that is already used in various international policy fora as a tool to quantify the costs and environmental benefits of reducing emissions of greenhouses gases and air pollutants. We explain the basic concepts and requirements of the system and illustrate how short-term co-benefits for local pollution can motivate GHG mitigation as a response of the otherwise intangible long-term and global risk of climate change. Hereafter, GAINS can be used as a common framework to make available and to compare the implications of the outputs of different energy system models working at different spatial and temporal scales. Furthermore, outputs of GAINS can be used as input for other models. Finally, we thus illustrate how integrated data management as implemented in the GAINS system supports the development of science-driven policies in term of case studies. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.