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System Dynamics
Research Project

WorldTrans - Transparent Assessments for Real People

WorldTrans aims to unpack the mystery of Integrated Assessment modelling and make the process of using such models more democratic and inclusive. UiB will lead the development of a new IAM with interactive learning environments and facilitate co-production processes with stakeholders.

WorldTrans
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WorldTrans

Main content

  • Project title: WorldTrans - Transparent Assessments for Real People
  • Project webpage: http://www.worldtrans-horizon.eu/
  • Funding: EU, Horizon Europe
  • Duration: December 1, 2022 – November 31, 2026
  • Project coordinator: Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway).
  • Partners involved: The consortium comprises 10 research institutions in Europe.
  • Staff involved: Birgit Kopainsky, William Schoenberg, and Jefferson K. Rajah.

Objectives

WorldTrans is designed to address four specific objectives: (1) To build new communities of integrated assessment modeling experts and users (citizens and stakeholders alike), based on a transparent approach to integrated assessments; (2) To unpack and quantify the potential importance of including heterogeneous human behaviour in integrated assessment models, (3) To identify main feedback loops and policy leverage points for climate-neutrality oriented policies; and (4) To produce quantitatively consistent results for various assessment processes including all three working groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and for the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). 

Contributions of the System Dynamics Group, UiB

  • UiB leads work package 3 in developing the WorldTrans - FRIDA model as a highly aggregated pedagogically focused IAM focused on capturing the feedback processes which link nature, human behaviour, and the technology-energy-economy domains; as well as the interactive learning environment to enhance the transparency of the project’s modelling work.
  • UiB co-leads work package 2 in including a fully endogenous representation of behavioural feedback loops between human and Earth systems in integrated assessment modelling and investigate the implications of these on mitigation pathways, with a particular focus on shifts in value systems.
  • In work package 4, UiB will identify ways of democratizing integrated assessment models by using the project’s models in stakeholder engagements and codeveloping processes for mutual envisioning and understanding of models and their uses. 
  • UiB also supports WorldTrans in all work packages with participatory system dynamics methods (e.g., verification and validation of models as well as scenario/policy formulation and analysis).

Journal Articles

  1. Rajah JK, Kopainsky B. (2025). A Systematic Method to Integrate Co-Produced Causal Loop Diagrams Based on Feedback StoriesSystem Dynamics Review 41(1): e1794. doi: 10.1002/sdr.1794

Conference Presentations

  1. Rajah JK, Tusch B, Hammerseng G, Kopainsky B. (2024 November 4-6). Conceptualising an endogenous representation of human behaviour change in a feedback-based, global-scale integrated assessment model. Poster presented at: The 17th Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium Annual Meeting. Seoul, South Korea.
  2. Schoenberg, W. A., Mauritzen, C., Adakudlu, M., Blanz. B., Breier, J., Grimeland, M. B., Mashhadi, S., Rajah, J. K., Ramme, L. & Wells, C. (2024, August 4-8). Towards a “fit for purpose”, fully coupled, integrated, and interdisciplinary world-Earth model – FRIDA Version 1.0. Paper presented in International System Dynamics Conference 2024, Bergen, Norway [Plenary].
  3. Rajah, J. K., Tusch, B., Hammerseng, G. & Kopainsky, B. (2024, August 4-8). Towards Modelling (Pro-)Environmental Human Behaviour in Integrated Assessment Models from a Systems Approach. Abstract presented in International System Dynamics Conference 2024, Bergen, Norway.
  4. Rajah, J. K. & Kopainsky, B. (2024, August 4-8). Human behavioural drivers of meat consumption: Using group model building to capture lived realities. Paper presented in International System Dynamics Conference 2024, Bergen, Norway.
  5. Rajah, J. K. & Kopainsky, B. (2024, June 4-6). Co-producing Models of (Pro-)Environmental Human Behaviour with Citizens: Feedback Stories Surrounding Meat Consumption. Paper presented in The 16th Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference, Turku, Finland.
  6. Schoenberg, W., Mashhadi, S., Mauritzen, C., Smith, C., Callegari, B., Collste, D., Cornell, S. & Gjermundsen, A. (2023, July 24-27). Towards a fully coupled Integrated Climate Assessment Model: FRIDA Version 0.1 (Feedback-based knowledge Repository for IntegrateD Assessments). Paper presented in International System Dynamics Conference 2023, Chicago, IL, USA. https://proceedings.systemdynamics.org/2023/papers/O1133.pdf 

Technical Reports

  1. Wells C, Blanz B, Ramme L, Callegari B, Adakudlu M, Rajah JK, Eriksson A, Smith C, Schoenberg WA. (2025). Report on climate damage functions for use in FRIDA (EU Deliverable 1.6). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.
  2. Prawitz H, Schwarz L, Eker S, Rajah JK, Donges J. (2025). Report on the macroscopic formulation and quantification of social norms dynamics (EU Deliverable 2.4). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.
  3. Schoenberg WA, Blanz B, Breier J, Callegari B, Grimeland MB, Adakudlu M, Nicolaidis A, Rajah JK, Ramme L, Smith C, Wells C, Mauritzen C. (2025). Report on FRIDA v2.0: Modeling the two-way coupling of the climate and humans (EU Deliverable 3.5). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.
  4. Lindqvist, A. N., Cornell, S., Collste, D., Palm, C., Rajah, J. K., & Kopainsky, B. (2024). Scientific synthesis: fitness for purpose of current IAM approaches (Deliverable Report 4.3). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.
  5. Collste, D., Cornell, S., Palm, C., Rajah, J. K., & Kopainsky, B. (2024). Learning and Training — External engagement with Citizens (Deliverable Report 4.4). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.
  6. Schoenberg, W. A., Mauritzen, C., Adakudlu, M., Blanz, B., Breier, J., Callegari, B., Collste, D., Cornell, S., Donges, J., Eker, S., Gerten, D., Gjermundsen, A., Grimeland, M. B., Kopainsky, B., Li, C., Mashhadi, S., Rajah, J. K., Ramme, L., Smith, C., Wang Erlandsson, L., Wells, C. & Ye, Q. (2024). Report on FRIDA V1.0 (Deliverable Report 3.4). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.
  7. Rajah, J. K., Kopainsky, B., Eker, S., Prawitz, H., Breier, J.& Donges, J. (2024). Report on conceptualization of pro-environmental value shifts for modeling human behavioral changes (Deliverable Report 2.3). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.
  8. Schoenberg, W., Smith, C., Adakudlu, M. & Mashhadi, S. (2023). Dataset and report on effects of uncertainty in specific
  9. existing simple IAMs. [FaIR, ESMICON, FeliX, Earth4All] (Deliverable Report 3.3). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.
  10. Schoenberg, W. & Mashhadi, S. (2023). Report on FRIDA V0.1 (Deliverable Report 3.1). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.
  11. Swamy, D., Eker, S., Rajah, J. K., Kopainsky, B., Callegari, B., Breier, J. & Donges, J. (2023). Preliminary Conceptualization of Modeling Human Systems in Integrated Assessment (Deliverable Report 2.1). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.
  12. Smith, C. & Schoenberg, W. (2023). Report on calibration of FaIR and ESMICON (Deliverable Report 1.1). WorldTrans – Transparent Assessments for Real People, EU Horizon Europe, Grant No. 101081661.