Agriculture and land use (AgLU) in GCAM: Recent updates and future prospects

Global economic and integrated assessment models are useful for understanding human-earth system dynamics under climate change. The agriculture and land use (AgLU) system is an essential component of integrated assessment, as it connects to energy, macroeconomics, and GHG emissions, and is relevant to key areas such as food security, biodiversity, and land-based mitigation measures. In this talk, we provide an overview of the data and modeling of the AgLU system in the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM), a widely used and open-source integrated assessment model. We discuss recent updates to the model and its applications, as well as identify pressing AgLU research questions and future prospects. We underscore the importance of considering agroeconomic perspectives in interdisciplinary studies and encourage more integrated approaches across disciplines.

About the lectures

Dr. Xin Zhao is an economist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute (JGCRI) of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where he conducts applied economic research at the intersection of agriculture, energy, and the environment. His work focuses on assessing the impacts of climate change on agriculture, land use, and trade and exploring possible adaptation and mitigation strategies. Dr. Zhao is a core developer of the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM), a widely used integrated assessment model (IAM). His recent work has advanced the economic modeling theory of land allocation and trade integration in IAMs. His past studies provided policy guidance for promoting sustainable aviation fuels to reduce emissions from air transportation. Dr. Zhao holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University.