Methodologies for leapfrogging to low carbon and sustainable development in Asia

It is clear that much more drastic and early actions than those that are presently being undertaken are needed to limit the average global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels. The Asian region, accounting for a significant portion of global greenhouse gas emissions and growing at a rapid economic pace, has a major role to play in the world's transition to a low carbon society (LCS). To design leapfrog pathways to low carbon and sustainable development, it is important to have a scientific tool that can develop LCS pathways and analyze the effectiveness of policies to achieve them under different scenarios. The Asia-Pacific Integrated Assessment Model (AIM) is an effective tool to support these analyses. It has been developed by researchers in Asia and used in policymaking processes in Asia. It can provide comprehensive and consistent assessment of various policies, including macro-economic policies and technological measures. It can analyze trade-offs between rapid economic growth in Asia and its environmental impact and assess sustainable development policies. This paper presents the processes of designing LCS policies and how modeling tools can support the analyses of the leapfrog pathways to a LCS. As a modeling tool, the family of AIM models is explained and their applications in Asia are presented. Procedures to design and implement low carbon policies together with the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle are also presented. Published by AIP Publishing.