Carbon and Climate Gaming

Ausubel, J.H., Lathrop, J.W., Stahl, I., & Robinson, J.M. (1980). Carbon and Climate Gaming. IIASA Working Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: WP-80-152

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Abstract

The issue of carbon use and possible associated climatic change has received growing attention in the last few years as an important aspect of assessing the impacts of various energy options. At IIASA that attention has been reflected in the Energy Systems Program and in the Global Climate Task of the Resources and Environment (REN) Area. As explained in this paper, the problem of climatic change can be viewed both as a problem of societal risk management and as a problem in strategic gaming behavior of the various decision makers involved. It is natural, then, that a joint working group at IIASA has formed, quite spontaneously, from representatives of the IIASA climate task (REN), the IIASA risk management project (Management and Technology Area, MMT), and the IIASA gaming project (MMT and Systems and Decision Sciences Area, SDS). This research group benefits from the multidisciplinary character of IIASA, which, along with its neutral scientific stance and long-standing interest in climate and energy, puts IIASA in an excellent position to increase our understanding of the problem of carbon use and climatic change. A list of IIASA papers and publications relating to climate is included here.

This paper describes an effort which began in March of 1980 and is expected to continue for another year or more. The paper consists primarily of material developed for a research proposal intended to assure continuation of the project. Two other working papers describing the project are also available. The paper entitled "An Interactive Model for Determining Coal Costs for a CO2-Game" (WP-80-154) describes in more detail the logic and a possible framework for parts of the proposed computer game. The paper "CO2: An Introduction and Possible Board Game" (WP-80-153) offers a non-technical sketch of the question and a description of the second proposed game. The development of the carbon and climate games described in these papers is being carried out at IIASA, while the actual gaming experiments are expected to take place both at IIASA and at other locations convenient for interested groups.

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