What group developed the shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs) used for future climate scenarios?

The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) were developed primarily by the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium. This group was tasked with creating a framework that would help in assessing climate change impacts and adaptation strategies by providing scenarios that depict different socioeconomic developments. The SSPs are vital for understanding how various socioeconomic trajectories can influence greenhouse gas emissions and climate vulnerability in the future.

Each pathway represents a different narrative about how society might evolve, focusing on factors like demographic changes, economic growth, technological advancements, and policies that can affect climate adaptation and mitigation. These pathways are used alongside climate models to project potential climate outcomes, making them crucial for both researchers and policymakers in climate science and sustainability discussions.

Although other organizations, like the IPCC, utilize the SSPs in their assessments and reports, the original development and conceptualization arose from the work of the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium. This distinct contribution underscores their role in shaping the future discourse on climate scenarios and socioeconomic pathways.