Envisioning Paradigm Shifts in Society (PASHMINA)

Overview

PASHMINA was an effort to anticipate and model possible paradigm shifts in the economic, social, technological, and environmental spheres and to understand their implications. The project created a host of scenarios depicting major changes in energy supplies, agriculture, land use, transportation, and the environment. A central goal of PASHMINA was to avoid the historical tendency of seeing the future as a continuation of the past and instead envision a significantly different future.  

IIASA Research

IIASA’s economic, energy, and land use models (including GLOBIOM and BeWhere) were integrated with models used by other project consortium members and adapted to make long-range forecasts more sensitive to paradigm shifts. With better models detailing an array of scenarios, policymakers can better anticipate which options to choose and which to avoid.

Examining the trade-offs and the costs and benefits of different strategies is essential if scientists are to identify robust solutions to problems in the context of limited resources and a changing climate.

Further information on the PASHMINA project website.

Last edited: 29 November 2013