REPLY Climate change (SD6237)

[System Dynamics Mailing List]

Posted by  "Jim Thompson" <james.thompson at strath.ac.uk>

David Corben wrote: "...I have never understood the affection that the SD
community seems to have for climate models, models which do not pass some of
the key tests of what we believe as system dynamicists constitutes a good
model of a complex dynamic system."

The observed affection may be an extension of an old saying about weather:
Everybody likes to talk about the climate, but nobody ever does anything
about it.

The Population and Climate Change Program of the International Institute of
Applied Systems Analysis <http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/PCC/index.html>
has published prolifically on the climate and implications for populations.
If not an expression of 'system dynamics methodology', IIASA's models
simulate dynamical systems with tools familiar to SD.  Perhaps there are
modelling techniques disclosed in IIASA's publications that would help
overcome David Corben's concerns.
Jim Thompson
Posted by  "Jim Thompson" <james.thompson at strath.ac.uk>
posting date  Mon, 5 Feb 2007 17:41:55 -0500