Lunch and Learn: Scenario Evolution Process

How do evolving assumptions about socioeconomic development shape climate futures — and how can new scenario frameworks better inform research, policy, and planning?

The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) are widely used narratives developed by climate researchers and embedded in long-term models like International Futures (IFs) to project global development trends through 2100. These scenarios underpin much of the analysis produced by organizations such as the IPCC.

Join the Pardee Institute for a Lunch and Learn exploring new research that extends and reimagines these pathways, including updated scenario frameworks projecting development through 2150. This session will also introduce the Scenario Evolution Process (SEP), a collaborative, research community–led initiative aimed at building the next generation of socioeconomic scenarios beyond the SSPs. Beginning with a global survey and evolving through workshops and academic publications, SEP represents a forward-looking effort to reshape how climate and development futures are modeled. This session is ideal for students, researchers, and practitioners interested in climate modeling, socioeconomic futures, and scenario development.