“A number of countries in South America, including Peru, Brazil, Chile and Colombia are collaborating on long-term national climate planning through the Mitigation Action Plans and Scenarios (MAPS) platform. Under MAPS, countries explore different potential levels of greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the medium to long term and socio-economic implications of these actions, within their national development context. Setting achievable GHG mitigation targets requires the systematic analysis of potential mitigation actions to quantify the implication of each action, in terms of its benefits and costs. There are many sources of GHG emissions in a country, and to predict how these sources are likely to continue emitting in the future with and without action is a difficult task, so this systematic analysis is done with the help of models. There are a multitude of modelling platforms and approaches available, each with its strengths and weaknesses, and they can be used in different combinations. Generally speaking, the more detailed / specialised a model (or set of models), the easier it is to engage with stakeholders in the different sectors, as the model(s) is able to characterise aspects of the system in a manner that the stakeholder is familiar with and comfortable with, in terms data and assumptions. This paper aims to provide guidance in the selection of modelling platforms to analyse mitigation actions in the energy sector. It does so by describing the main model types and its process and data requirements, as well as discussing key considerations for the choice of model.”
