Gokul Iyer
Biographic Data
| ID | 4017451 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gokul Iyer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gokul |
| FAMILY NAME | Iyer |
| SIGNATURE | IYER G |
| AFFILIATIONS | Joint Global Change Research Institute |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3565-7526 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 37 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 3 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 37 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Promising climate progress from net-zero ambitions to the Paris Agreement goal
Climate targets require strong commitments from countries to be achieved. Using a multi-model analysis, we show that current net-zero pledges bring the world closer to a well-below 2 °C pathway, but an emission gap remains. Increasing ambition will be crucial: expanding the global coverage of net-zero pledges and speeding up action increases consistency with the Paris Agreement (1.5–2.0 °C range in model mean). However, reaching the 1.5 °C goal w…
From least-cost to SDG-optimal sectoral allocation of Paris Agreement-compatible mitigation efforts
Modelling the impacts of policy sequencing on energy decarbonization
Seizing the policy opportunities for health- and equity-improving energy decisions
Substantial air quality and health co-benefits from combined federal and subnational climate actions in the United States
Publisher of over 50 scientific journals across the life, physical, earth, and health sciences, both independently and in partnership with scientific societies including Cell, Neuron, Immunity, Current Biology, AJHG, and the Trends Journals
Rate and growth limits for carbon capture and storage
CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) in geological reservoirs is expected to play a large role in low-emissions scenarios from multi-sector human Earth system models. Yet these scenarios have often projected near-term CCS deployments that far exceed what is currently planned, l et al one operational. They have also failed to consider regional differences in capacity to deploy large-scale CO 2 capture, transport, and subsurface injection. Here, we updat…
Long-term decarbonization impacts on residential energy security across income groups and US states
The impact of a transition to a net-zero economy on the residential energy sector across diverse income groups in the US remains uncertain. Here, we employ an integrated human-Earth system model, incorporating an expanded set of ten income groups in the residential energy sector, to examine the distributional impacts of long-term decarbonization scenarios on residential energy security at the state level through 2050. We use multiple metrics of e…
Feasibility of peak temperature targets in light of institutional constraints
Despite faster-than-expected progress in clean energy technology deployment, global annual CO 2 emissions have increased from 2020 to 2023. The feasibility of limiting warming to 1.5 °C is therefore questioned. Here we present a model intercomparison study that accounts for emissions trends until 2023 and compares cost-effective scenarios to alternative scenarios with institutional, geophysical and technological feasibility constraints and enable…
The role and deployment timing of direct air capture in Saudi Arabia’s net-zero transition
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060. Direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) is critical for the country to meet its net-zero target given its reliance on fossil fuels and limited options for carbon dioxide removal (CDR). However, the role of DACCS in KSA’s national climate change mitigation has not been studied in the literature. In this study, we aim to understand the potentia…
Implications of an emission trading scheme for India’s net-zero strategy
To help meet its near-term NDC goals and long-term net-zero 2070 target, the Government of India has planned to establish a Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS), i.e. a domestic emission trading scheme (ETS). An ETS is an inherently cost-effective policy instrument for emission reduction, providing the greatest flexibility to reduce emissions from within and across sectors. An effective ETS requires design features that consider country-specific c…
Residential energy demand, emissions, and expenditures at regional and income-decile level for alternative futures
Income and its distribution profile are important determinants of residential energy demand and carry direct implications for human well-being and climate. We explore the sensitivity of residential energy systems to income growth and distribution across shared socioeconomic pathway-representative concentration pathways scenarios using a global, integrated, multisector dynamics model, Global Change Analysis Model, which tracks national/regional ho…
Hydropower expansion in eco-sensitive river basins under global energy-economic change
Taking stock of nationally determined contributions
Agricultural market integration preserves future global water resources
Traded agricultural goods redistribute water, virtually, around the world to satisfy unmet demands while limiting excess water extraction in importing regions. However, gaps remain in our understanding of how alternative international trade regimes may alter agricultural water demands, locally and virtually. Here, we explore global agricultural water savings and virtual water trade impacts of such trade regimes under reference and low-carbon scen…
The path to 1.5 °C requires ratcheting of climate pledges
Ratcheting of climate pledges needed to limit peak global warming
Role of non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in limiting global warming
Long-term basin-scale hydropower expansion under alternative scenarios in a global multisector model
Hydropower is an important source of renewable, low-carbon energy. Global and regional energy systems, including hydropower, may evolve in a variety of ways under different scenarios. Representation of hydropower in global multisector models is often simplified at the country or regional level. Some models assume a fixed hydropower supply, which is not affected by economic drivers or competition with other electricity generation sources. Here, we…
Climate change impacts on the energy system
Increasing renewable energy use is an essential strategy for mitigating climate change. Nevertheless, the sensitivity of renewable energy to climatic conditions means that the energy system’s vulnerability to climate change can also become larger. In this research, we used two integrated assessment models and data from four climate models to analyse climate change impacts on primary energy use at a global and regional scale under a low-level (RCP…
Quantifying the regional stranded asset risks from new coal plants under 1.5 °C
Momentum to phase out unabated coal use is growing globally. This transition is critical to meeting the Paris climate goals but can potentially lead to large amounts of stranded assets, especially in regions with newer and growing coal fleets. Here we combine plant-level data with a global integrated assessment model to quantify changes in global stranded asset risks from coal-fired power plants across regions and over time. With new plant propos…
Good practice policies to bridge the emissions gap in key countries
Assessing China’s efforts to pursue the 1.5°C warming limit
Change in the air The 2016 Paris Agreement set the ambitious goals of keeping global temperature rise this century below 2°C, or even better, 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. Substantial interventions are required to meet these goals, particularly for industrialized countries. Duan et al. projected that China will need to reduce its carbon emissions by more than 90% and its energy consumption by almost 40% to do its share in reaching the 1.5°C t…
Climate policy models need to get real about people — here’s how
To achieve deep cuts in US emissions, state-driven policy is only slightly more expensive than nationally uniform policy
The surprisingly inexpensive cost of state-driven emission control strategies
Can Paris pledges avert severe climate change?
Reducing risks of severe outcomes and improving chances of limiting warming to 2°C
The contribution of Paris to limit global warming to 2 °C
The international community has set a goal to limit global warming to 2 °C. Limiting global warming to 2 °C is a challenging goal and will entail a dramatic transformation of the global energy system, largely complete by 2040. As part of the work toward this goal, countries have been submitting their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, indicating their emissions reduct…
Energy investment needs for fulfilling the Paris Agreement and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals
GCAM v5.1
This paper describes GCAM v5.1, an open source model that represents the linkages between energy, water, land, climate, and economic systems. GCAM is a market equilibrium model, is global in scope, and operates from 1990 to 2100 in 5-year time steps. It can be used to examine, for example, how changes in population, income, or technology cost might alter crop production, energy demand, or water withdrawals, or how changes in one region's demand f…
Stranded asset implications of the Paris Agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean
Achieving the Paris Agreement’s near-term goals (nationally determined contributions, or NDCs) and long-term temperature targets could result in pre-mature retirement, or stranding, of carbon-intensive assets before the end of their useful lifetime. We use an integrated assessment model to quantify the implications of the Paris Agreement for stranded assets in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), a developing region with the least carbon-intens…
Implications of water constraints on electricity capacity expansion in the United States
Taking stock of national climate policies to evaluate implementation of the Paris Agreement
Many countries have implemented national climate policies to accomplish pledged Nationally Determined Contributions and to contribute to the temperature objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change. In 2023, the global stocktake will assess the combined effort of countries. Here, based on a public policy database and a multi-model scenario analysis, we show that implementation of current policies leaves a median emission gap of 22.4 to 28.…
Assessing China’s efforts to pursue the 1.5°C warming limit
Change in the air The 2016 Paris Agreement set the ambitious goals of keeping global temperature rise this century below 2°C, or even better, 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. Substantial interventions are required to meet these goals, particularly for industrialized countries. Duan et al. projected that China will need to reduce its carbon emissions by more than 90% and its energy consumption by almost 40% to do its share in reaching the 1.5°C t…
Climate policy models need to get real about people — here’s how
To achieve deep cuts in US emissions, state-driven policy is only slightly more expensive than nationally uniform policy
The surprisingly inexpensive cost of state-driven emission control strategies
The implications of uncertain renewable resource potentials for global wind and solar electricity projections
Studies exploring long-term energy system transitions rely on resource cost-supply curves derived from estimates of renewable energy (RE) potentials to generate wind and solar power projections. However, estimates of RE potentials are characterized by large uncertainties stemming from methodological assumptions that vary across studies, including factors such as the suitability of land and the performance and configuration of technology. Based on…
Implications of different income distributions for future residential energy demand in the U.S
Future income distribution will affect energy demand and its interactions with various societal priorities. Most future model simulations assume a single average consumer and thus miss this important demand determinant. We quantify long-term implications of alternative future income distributions for state-level residential energy demand, investment, greenhouse gas, and pollutant emission patterns in the United States (U.S.) by incorporating inco…
Integrated assessment model diagnostics
Integrated assessment models (IAMs) form a prime tool in informing about climate mitigation strategies. Diagnostic indicators that allow comparison across these models can help describe and explain differences in model projections. This increases transparency and comparability. Earlier, the IAM community has developed an approach to diagnose models (Kriegler (2015 Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 90 45–61)). Here we build on this, by proposing a se…
Future evolution of virtual water trading in the United States electricity sector
Future transformations in the electricity sector could entail major shifts in power sector technology mixes and electricity trade, with consequences for the trading of virtual water. Previous virtual water trade studies largely focus on historical timeframes. We explore, for the first time, future—through 2050—virtual water trade driven by electricity trade under a range of future electricity sector transformation scenarios using the United State…
The future evolution of energy-water-agriculture interconnectivity across the US
Energy, water, and agricultural resources across the globe are highly interconnected. This interconnectivity poses science challenges, such as understanding and modeling interconnections, as well as practical challenges, such as efficiently managing interdependent resource systems. Using the US as an example, this study seeks to define and explore how interconnectivity evolves over space and time under a range of influences. Concepts from graph t…
The path to 1.5 °C requires ratcheting of climate pledges
Ratcheting of climate pledges needed to limit peak global warming
Role of non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in limiting global warming
Long-term basin-scale hydropower expansion under alternative scenarios in a global multisector model
Hydropower is an important source of renewable, low-carbon energy. Global and regional energy systems, including hydropower, may evolve in a variety of ways under different scenarios. Representation of hydropower in global multisector models is often simplified at the country or regional level. Some models assume a fixed hydropower supply, which is not affected by economic drivers or competition with other electricity generation sources. Here, we…
Climate change impacts on the energy system
Increasing renewable energy use is an essential strategy for mitigating climate change. Nevertheless, the sensitivity of renewable energy to climatic conditions means that the energy system’s vulnerability to climate change can also become larger. In this research, we used two integrated assessment models and data from four climate models to analyse climate change impacts on primary energy use at a global and regional scale under a low-level (RCP…
Quantifying the regional stranded asset risks from new coal plants under 1.5 °C
Momentum to phase out unabated coal use is growing globally. This transition is critical to meeting the Paris climate goals but can potentially lead to large amounts of stranded assets, especially in regions with newer and growing coal fleets. Here we combine plant-level data with a global integrated assessment model to quantify changes in global stranded asset risks from coal-fired power plants across regions and over time. With new plant propos…
Good practice policies to bridge the emissions gap in key countries
Taking stock of nationally determined contributions
Agricultural market integration preserves future global water resources
Traded agricultural goods redistribute water, virtually, around the world to satisfy unmet demands while limiting excess water extraction in importing regions. However, gaps remain in our understanding of how alternative international trade regimes may alter agricultural water demands, locally and virtually. Here, we explore global agricultural water savings and virtual water trade impacts of such trade regimes under reference and low-carbon scen…
Economics (27 works) · Natural resource economics (25 works) · Environmental Science (24 works) · Climate change (22 works) · Climate Change Policy and Economics (21 works) · Engineering (16 works) · Environmental Impact and Sustainability (15 works) · Business (14 works) · Computer Science (14 works) · Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies (14 works)