CAR has been appointed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change to work on the new Global Calculator, for use in the next international climate change negotiations.

CAR is doing quality assurance of DECC’s new Global Calculator. This builds on DECC’s successes with the 2050 Pathways Calculator, widely reported in the press in 2012. The Global Calculator looks at all the options for meeting international targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions – from more renewable energy to changes in diet to artificial trees. It quantifies potential savings, based on the best available science, and shows how different policy levers relate together to shape our future climate.

CAR’s work involves meticulous checks of the calculations and modelling behind the Calculator. We are following a four-prong strategy:

1. Manual checking of formulae
2. Semi-automated checks
3. Automated quality assurance testing, and
4. Expert judgement and sense-checking.

We are doing this work over six months, working closely with DECC modellers, to ensure that the Global Calculator is ready for release in time for the next round of Kyoto Protocol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Protocol] negotiations in Lima, Peru, in December this year.