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Abstract

Feedbacks from the climate to other components of the coupled human-Earth system are expected to strongly influence the co-evolution of human society and its environment. Representing these feedback loops between climate and society, via the Earth system's response to human activities and the subsequent effect back onto social systems, is essential in order to fully explore the dynamics of the coupled system. However, focus on these feedbacks has traditionally been limited, or excluded, in prior Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) and IAM-based modelling protocols. This limits the understanding of the effects of climate change and the response of the overall system to future emissions scenarios and policies.

The new IAM Feedback-based knowledge Repository for IntegrateD Assessments version 2.1 (FRIDAv2.1), documented and explored within this paper collection, seeks to address this by internalising the feedbacks between subcomponents of the human-Earth system. Within this new IAM, these connections are therefore a key part of the structure, and are documented and discussed here.

FRIDA represents these climate-to-society feedbacks, conceptualised as climate impacts, through global impact functions. Where possible, they are based on estimates from existing literature, reframed as functions of global climate variables to facilitate their representation within FRIDA. Other impact channels, with insufficient background literature to inform their structure and parameter values, are incorporated via the internal calibration of the IAM.

Since the systematic representation of climate damages within an IAM is a relatively novel endeavour, the approach is constrained by literature limitations and necessary simplifications. In addition, the high level of abstraction of the FRIDA model imposes limits on the set of impacts which can reasonably be implemented, and the level of process detail amongst those included. Nevertheless, FRIDA's endogenous representation of climate feedbacks to human and natural systems enables valuable insights and intuition building on an underexplored topic. The general nature of the climate damage functions aggregated and documented here allows for their incorporation within other models and frameworks.