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There are three elements to the organizational structure of the IAMC. The Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) is the principal governing body of the IAMC and the principal point of contact for the IAMC. The SSC organizes and oversees the work of the IAMC. Most of the work of the IAMC is implemented through Scientific Working Groups (SWGs) that draw on IAMC members. The SSC will also create the Advisory Council, a consultative body, which provides advice and counsel to the IAMC.
The Scientific Steering Committee
View the current members of the Scientific Steering Committee.
Although most of the work of the IAMC will be carried out through SWGs, the SSC provides the leadership for the IAMC and is ultimately responsible for the governance and all of the work of the IAMC. In specific, the responsibilities of the SSC include:
- Identify potential research priorities and opportunities based on input from IAMC member organizations and the IAMC Advisory Council.
- Identify issues to be addressed by SWGs and form, oversee, approve, and communicate work by SWGs;
- Review and recommend activities brought to it by IAMC member organizations and potential partner organizations;
- Serve as a point of contact of other external bodies, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
- Secure and shepherd the resources necessary to successful conduct the business of the IAMC.
- Establish an IAMC Secretariat to help with administrative tasks.
The SSC takes decisions by consensus.
Membership in the Scientific Steering Committee: The SSC is a small group that insures that work gets done through SWGs. There are two types of Scientific Steering Committee members: Sustaining members and At-Large members. There is no difference in the responsibilities and authorities vested in Sustaining and At-large members. Membership in the SSC is held at the institutional level, with points of contact identified for each member organization.
Sustaining Members of the IAMC are organizations that have provided leadership to the integrated assessment modeling community over many years, have a long history of influential publications in the area of integrated assessment modeling and research, and which develop and maintain extensive, integrated, and comprehensive IAMs. To be a Sustaining member of the SSC requires that the organization participate actively in SWGs.
The IAM community is home to a wide range of organizations with sub disciplinary expertise, such as energy economic modelers, smaller integrated assessment modeling groups or modelers with particularly important regional foci. At large members represent these key contributors to IAM development that are not otherwise represented in the Sustaining Membership.
Selection and Governance of the Scientific Steering Committee: Membership in the SSC is determined every three years. Membership is selected in a three-step process that begins with the Sustaining members.
Selection of the Sustaining members for the Scientific Steering Committee: The Sustaining members of the SSC are selected by the present Sustaining members of the SSC. Every existing Sustaining member is up for re-election every three years. The process begins with the existing Sustaining members.
The SSC will establish a process by which voting can be done through a secret ballot and outside of a SSC meeting process. Every existing Sustaining member votes as to whether or not every other existing Sustaining member continues to meet the criteria of a Sustaining member. This process is intended to account for potential changes that can occur over time in IAM research organizations. Members continue to be regarded as Sustaining members if two-thirds of the other Sustaining members vote for their retention.
Retained members meet to discuss additional teams that might be recognized as Sustaining members and invited to become Sustaining members of the SSC. Voting to add new candidate Sustaining members proceeds in the same way as voting to retain existing Sustaining members. Results of the balloting are reported to the Secretariat and the retained Sustaining members of the SSC.
There are two ways that at-large members are brought into the SSC.
Election of the At-Large IAMC members to the Scientific Steering Committee: All of the IAMC members that are not on the SSC are polled for their choice of At-Large SSC members. The three organizations with the highest number of ballots become At-Large SSC members.
Appointment of At-Large IAMC members to the Scientific Steering Committee: The retained Sustaining members of the SSC plus the newly elected At-large members of the SSC meet and appoint three of the remaining IAMC members for membership in the SSC.
Chairman of the Scientific Steering Committee: The fully constituted SSC will appoint a chairperson from among the full SSC membership, who is charged with ensuring that the SSC meets as necessary to execute the business of the IAMC and at least annually.
Continued membership on the SSC is subject to review at any time.
Scientific Working Groups
View the current scientific working groups.
Most of the work of the IAMC will be carried out through SWGs. SWGs are chartered by the SSC to address issues critical to the IAMC. SWGs serve at the pleasure of the SSC, and report to the SSC. SWGs will, in general draw from the IAMC member organizations to undertake and accomplish the work of the IAMC.
At least two different types of SWGs are envisioned. Some of the SWGs will be populated exclusively by the IAMC members. For example, the IAMC SSC might commission a SWG on topics such as reporting conventions, research priorities, or communications. Other SWGs will include both IAMC members and members drawn from outside the IAMC. For example, the decision as to whether the low Representation Pathway (RCP) would be limited to 2.6 Wm-2 or 2.9 Wm-2 was taken by an IAMC convened committee that included both IAMC and non-IAMC members.
The Advisory Council
The Advisory Council is a body whose job is to provide advice and counsel for the SSC. For example, the SSC may solicit the opinions of the Advisory Council on potential research priorities. Members of the Advisory Council are drawn from outside of the IAMC membership.
The Advisory Council helps the IAMC and the SSC to identify and coordinate potential resources to help the IAMC fulfill its mission.
The Advisory Council is also a potential source of information about activities in other research communities, such as the climate modeling community or the impacts research community, that are relevant to IAMC activities.
The Advisory Council also exists to assist the SSC in coordinating with and communicating results to other research communities.
The initial set of Advisory Council members will be appointed by the SSC of the IAMC. One member will be designated the Advisory Council Chairperson, who will serve as the point of contact for the SSC. The term of a membership will be 3 years. Membership is renewable.
Partnerships and Collaborations
The IAMC will also work with and through other organizations, including both member organizations and external organizations. In addition to communications and coordination, the SSC is the point of contact for partnerships and collaborations.
Member organizations may propose to undertake activities that benefit the community and the IAMC may choose to recommend those activities to its members, e.g. EMF, FEEM, or the AIM team may choose to undertake a coordinated exercise consistent with the broader objectives of the community. Or, alternatively, the IAMC may wish to encourage one of its members to undertake activities that further critical research goals.
The IAMC may also team with other organizations (e.g. AIMES) to undertake programs of mutual interest.
Finally, the IAMC may also work with external organizations such as for example, the IPCC.