Transient scenarios for robust climate change adaptation illustrated for water management in The Netherlands

Climate scenarios are used to explore impacts of possible future climates and to assess the robustness of adaptation actions across a range of futures. Time-dependent climate scenarios are commonly used in mitigation studies. However, despite the dynamic nature of adaptation, most scenarios for local or regional decision making on climate...

Exploring carbon futures in the EU power sector: Using Exploratory System Dynamics Modelling and Analysis to explore policy regimes under deep uncertainty

The European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in combination with other renewable electricity (RES-E) support schemes such as (premium) feed-in tariffs or tradable green certificates do not guarantee a carbon neutral power sector in 2050. This paper shows that many plausible futures of high carbon emissions exist when no substantial efficiency...

A Multi-Pathfinder for Developing Adaptive Robust Policies in System Dynamics

Adaptivity is essential for dynamically complex and uncertain systems. Adaptive policymaking is an approach to design policies that can be adapted over time to how the future unfolds. It is crucial for adaptive policymaking to specify under what conditions and how to adapt the policy. The performance of adaptive policy is critically depended on...

Stress-testing banks under deep uncertainty

Years of turmoil in the banking sector have revealed the need to assess bank performance under deep uncertainty and identify vulnerabilities to different types of risks. Banks are not the safe houses of old. Today, banks are highly uncertain dynamically complex systems that are permanently at risk due to internal and external stresses and...

Adapt or Perish: A Review of Planning Approaches for Adaptation under Deep Uncertainty

There is increasing interest in long-term plans that can adapt to changing situations under conditions of deep uncertainty. We argue that a sustainable plan should not only achieve economic, environmental, and social objectives, but should be robust and able to be adapted over time to (unforeseen) future conditions. Large numbers of papers...

Adaptive policymaking under deep uncertainty: Optimal preparedness for the next pandemic

The recent flu pandemic in 2009 caused a panic about the possible consequences due to deep uncertainty about an unknown virus. Overstock of vaccines or unnecessary social measures to be taken were all due to uncertainty. However, what should be the necessary actions to take in such deeply uncertain situation where there is no or very little...

A system dynamics mode-based exploratory analysis of salt water intrusion in coastal aquifers

Coastal communities dependent upon groundwater resources for drinking water and irrigation are vulnerable to salinization of the groundwater reserve. The increasing uncertainty associated with changing climatic conditions, population and economic development, and technological advances poses significant challenges for freshwater management. The...

A bright future for system dynamics: From art to computational science and beyond

This paper presents a bright future for quantitative System Dynamics Modeling. This future relates to all major issues and grand challenges which all happen to be dynamically complex and deeply uncertain. Combining System Dynamics Modeling and Exploratory Modeling and Analysis allows one to generate, explore and deeply analyze tens of thousands...

Clearing the Road for ISA Implementation? Applying Adaptive Policymaking for the Implementation of Intelligent Speed Adaptation

Intelligente Snelheid Assistent of ISA is de benaming voor een categorie in-vehicle systemen die bestuurder helpen om zich te houden aan de lokale snelheidslimiet (m.a.w. die er voor zorgen dat bestuurder niet te hard rijdt, of er zelfs voor zorgen dat de bestuurder nooit meer te hard kan rijden). De vele (veld) testen die in het verleden gedaan...

To Radicalize or to Deradicalize? Is that the Question?

Radicalization and deradicalization are deeply uncertain dynamic processes. Exploring and analyzing many plausible futures and assessing the robustness of policies to reinforce desirable evolutions seem more useful for such processes than trying to predict their precise development over time and optimize the associated policy response. This...

Energy Transitions towards Sustainability I: A Staged Exploration of Complexity and Deep Uncertainty

This paper illustrates the use of Exploratory System Dynamics Modeling and Analysis – a multi-method combining System Dynamics and Exploratory Modeling and Analysis to explore and analyze uncertain dynamic issues and test deep policy robustness. This paper gives an overview of the current state of this multi-method by means of an illustration....

Exploring the Future of Wind-Powered Energy

Although there is a trend towards more sustainable energy system, the future of renewable energies is still deeply uncertain. Among the renewable resources, wind energy is considered to be a promising one. However, in the presence of deep uncertainty, what will be the future of wind-powered energy? Decision making under deep uncertainty for such...

Strategies to combat salt water intrusion in coastal aquifers: A model-based exploratory analysis

Coastal communities dependent upon groundwater resources for drinking water and irrigation are vulnerable to salinization of the groundwater reserve. The increasing uncertainty associated with changing climatic conditions, population and economic development, and technological advances in agriculture, water treatment, and water purification,...

Technical and organizational aspects of climate scenario.

This thesis discusses several solutions to develop the use of climate scenarios in climate adaptation in Dutch water management. The solutions consist of: a different representation of uncertainty in the scenarios, more guidance on the use of climate scenarios and organizational changes in the making and publication of scenarios. The first two...

The Influenza A(H1N1)v Pandemic: An Exploratory System Dynamics Approach

This paper presents a small exploratory System Dynamics model related to the dynamics of the 2009 flu pandemic, also known as the Mexican flu, swine flu, or A(H1N1)v. The model was developed in May 2009 in order to quickly foster understanding about the possible dynamics of this new flu variant and to perform rough-cut policy explorations. Later...