integrated assessment model

Gold definitionUpdated Apr 2, 2026

Definition

An Integrated Assessment Model (IAM) is a computational framework that couples climate, hazard, impact, and economic models to analyze long-term, complex interactions between human and natural systems. It supports the design of adaptive strategies for infrastructure investments under deep uncertainty.

At a glance

Executive summary

Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are sophisticated computer tools that combine various models to understand how climate change affects cities and infrastructure over many decades. They help decision-makers plan long-term investments to adapt to climate impacts, like flooding, by learning the best strategies to balance costs and benefits.

TL;DR

Integrated Assessment Models combine different computer models to help plan long-term climate adaptation strategies for cities and infrastructure, especially under uncertain future conditions.

Key points

Integrates climate, hazard, impact, and economic models to simulate long-term system behavior.
Solves the challenge of designing adaptive, multi-decade investment strategies under deep uncertainty.
Used by climate researchers, urban planners, infrastructure managers, and policymakers.
Offers a dynamic, learning-based approach to adaptation compared to static, pre-defined strategies.
Growing trend of integrating AI (like reinforcement learning) to learn adaptive policies within complex IAM frameworks.

Use cases

Developing long-term flood adaptation plans for coastal cities, considering sea-level rise and extreme rainfall.
Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of different infrastructure investments (e.g., green infrastructure vs. grey infrastructure) to enhance urban resilience.
Informing national climate policy by modeling the economic and societal impacts of various mitigation and adaptation pathways.
Designing adaptive strategies for transportation networks to cope with increasing disruptions from extreme weather events over decades.

Also known as

IAM