Chalmers launches online climate model for public use

Chalmers is helping to spread public understanding of the risks of global warming and climate change, launching a simple to use online model, the Chalmers Climate Calculator.

The Calculator, built by Christian Azar and Daniel Johansson, at the Department for Physical Resource Theory at Chalmers University of Technology, is intended for anyone who wants to learn more about the problem of climate change. Journalists, students, policy makers, and international negotiators, and members of the general public, can access the model at http://www.chalmers.se/ee/ccc.

Chalmers says the straightforward online presentation quickly lets users get a feel for how carbon dioxide emissions could affect climate in the future. Users choose scenarios for future emissions, deciding when, and by how much, emissions are cut, or whether to allow them to increase according to a business-as-usual projection.

Using these inputs, the model then calculates the future atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide and the increase in global average surface temperature. It also takes account of other greenhouse gases.

Users can thus see how both the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and the temperature vary depending on emissions. The model also illustrates how temperature changes are dependent on how sensitive the climate is to greenhouse gases.

Other questions that can be explored with the model include:

• What temperature increase will we see by 2100, if we keep global emission levels at the current level, or if we cut emissions by 3 per cent annually, starting now?

• What if we delay emission cuts for another 10, 20, or 30 years?

• How much does climate sensitivity matter to global warming?

• What if only developed nations cut emissions and developing nations don't take any measures?

• How much and how quickly do developed and developing nations, need to cut emissions, respectively, to stay below the 2-degree limit?

• What role does deforestation play in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and temperature and how much will stopping deforestation matter to global warming?