Guidelines for inclusive and equitable energy and transport modeling

Area of Science:

• Sustainable Development
• Energy Systems Modeling
• Transport Systems Modeling

Background:

• Energy and transport models significantly influence policy and financial decisions.
• Current models often overlook gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), perpetuating inequities.
• Marginalized communities' needs are frequently excluded in traditional modeling approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present guidelines for integrating GESI into large-scale energy and transport systems modeling.
• To address challenges in incorporating GESI, such as data limitations and model architecture.
• To promote equitable and context-sensitive development outcomes through inclusive modeling.

Main Methods:

• Collaborative development process.
• Scoping literature review.
• Expert consultation with modelers and social scientists.

Main Results:

• Guidelines for integrating GESI across the entire modeling life cycle.
• Strategies to overcome challenges like data disaggregation and quantifying social factors.
• Demonstration of how inclusive modeling leads to more equitable results.

Conclusions:

• Inclusive modeling practices are essential for achieving sustainable development.
• The developed guidelines are applicable beyond energy and transport to other infrastructure domains.
• Integrating GESI into modeling fosters more equitable and context-sensitive outcomes.