Model Description by UMD
www.globalchange.umd.edu/models/gcam/
Labor participation
Labor productivity growth
Energy technology assumptions
Agricultural and land use data
GHG emissions
Radiative forcing
Climate effects
The Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM) is an integrated assessment tool for exploring consequences and responses to global change with particular emphasis on the representation of human earth systems including interactions between the global economic, energy, agricultural, land use and technology systems. The model can be used to explore climate change mitigation policies including carbon taxes, carbon trading, regulations, and accelerated deployment of energy technology. Using a run period extending from 1990 – 2100 at 5 year intervals, GCAM has been used to explore the potential role of emerging energy supply technologies and the greenhouse gas consequences of specific policy measures or energy technology adoption including; CO2 capture and storage, bioenergy, hydrogen systems, nuclear energy, renewable energy technology, and energy use technology in buildings, industry and the transportation sectors.