Helping governments find the right climate policy model

Vital research underway at the School of Public Administration

As part of Conversation Canada’s COP26 coverage, associate professor Dr. Katya Rhodes and former master’s student Aaron Hoyle shared their findings on how governments can match their climate policy questions to an appropriate model.

“….governments at all levels need to understand how climate and energy policies will impact their greenhouse gas emissions and economies. To do this, they rely on “energy-economy models,” computer simulations that analysts use to assess how energy is produced and used within the economy.

But not all of these models are the same. One model can produce very different results from another. Or similar results can be interpreted in different ways. This can make decision-making on climate policy challenging.

So how can governments match their climate policy questions to an appropriate model? As climate policy experts, my group and I conducted a recent study that helps answer this question. We identified the best practices that policy-makers should consider when evaluating climate policies to ensure the best choices are made for the health of the planet and for their citizens.

Read the Conversation Canada story - Climate policy creates winners and losers, and governments need to choose the best models to weigh the outcomes. Published November 9, 2021.