Global and regional scenarios and trend analyses to explore sustainable futures

The integrated application of alternative futures and scenarios planning can be used to explore potential future pathways that are challenging, inspiring and plausible at the global and regional levels. 

This work includes synthesizing large amounts of information to provide inputs for scenario process. This works includes reviews of global and regional foresights and other sources of information to feed into collaborative, often stakeholder-driven exercises. Therefore, our scenario-planning projects are centred on stakeholder engagement, such as through workshops and meetings supported by our expert team. One of the crucial aspects of our scenario applications is the combination of qualitative and quantitative information, using indicators for everything from a simple trend analysis to quantitative integrated modelling. 

IISD collaborates with a number of agencies, including ARICOM and UNEP, to integrate scenario outcomes into policy-making and planning processes by working with policy-makers from the local to international levels. In this context, we are engaged in capacity-building on scenario development to increase the skills of policy-makers and other stakeholders in running scenario exercises.