Exploring the representation of climate change impacts in integrated assessment modelling: the case of health and place

Abstract

Well-being impacts of climate change, particularly on human integrity (Health) and living conditions (Place), are severe but often underrepresented in Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs). When included, these impacts are typically modelled using simplistic top-down approaches, while bottom-up representations linking hazards to impacts, which offer high transparency and process detail, are largely overlooked. Recent trends connecting IAMs with the Impact, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IAV) community offer an opportunity to improve the representation of well-being damages. Here, we conduct a scoping review resulting in a mapping of 37 modelling studies, revealing a diverse range of approaches, with variation in hazards, impacts, and modelling choices. Key gaps include weak representation of inequality, a lack of multi-channel assessments, and an overrepresentation of northern regions. We propose a roadmap to enhance climate impacts representation on Health and Place in IAMs, using improved data and large-scale multiregional models to generate results that better support decision-making.