In this section, dedicated to the links between climate and circular economy, a study shows how circular economy could create opportunities for the waste-to-energy sector in Norway to develop and expand into new value chains such as secondary raw materials production. Furthermore, an OECD working paper on the macroeconomics of the circular economy transition offers a critical review of the modelling approaches used in the field.

This report is the first quarterly report of 2020 under the series “Climate change modelling information” financed by the European Commission. The objective of this series is to inform the European Commission and the wider climate change and energy modelling community about recent and relevant policy modelling developments. This issue sets a particular emphasis on mid-century strategies and nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

A range of other recent climate modelling developments are reported on in the third section. At the University College Cork, researchers have for a first time used deep machine learning architectures to model transport service demands. And at Imperial College London, researcher have integrated energy systems and gas infrastructure optimisation models to assess the need for investment in regional gas infrastructure in Southern Brazil.

Various developments linked to the implementation of the NDCs are reported on in the second section. Two of the modelling developments make the process of modelling and analysing NDCs more streamlined and therefore easier – the FRAMES modelling framework for energy-economy policy analysis in developing countries and the TIMES-Starter Model Management Platform. The other research reported in the section enhances the NDCs analysis for specific countries – Brazil, China and Costa Rica.

The first section of the report is dedicated to modelling developments linked to the implementation of mid-century strategies. The majority of developments in this section are dedicated to enhancing existing models with new sectoral coverage and/or new data. The PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency has added a number of industrial manufacturing sectors in the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment (IMAGE) model. The Carbon Dioxide Removal Model Intercomparison Project has made available new data to support IPCC science and climate mitigation strategies. Researchers at COPPE/UFRJ have expanded the Brazilian Land Use and Energy System (BLUES) model with data on advanced biofuels conversion routes and land use aspects in Brazil. Another key development is the meta-analysis of how scenarios are used to improve models and long-term strategies. A paper by WRI a new report by The Shift Project are also presented.

This report is the third quarterly report of 2019 under the series “Climate change modelling information” financed by the European Commission. The objective of this series is to inform the European Commission and the wider climate change and energy modelling community about recent and relevant policy modelling developments. This issue sets a particular emphasis on mid-century strategies, nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and modelling covering energy and climate modelling integrating behavioural changes.