Regional Teleconnections and Multisector Dynamics: insights from ongoing research and future directions
Energy and agricultural commodities are traded globally, linking multisectoral dynamics in one place to those of another. However, trade patterns are likely to change in the future because of changes in human and environmental factors. For example, depletion of groundwater or critical mineral resources in one region may result in a reduction of exports from or an increase in imports to that region, altering the trade of commodities across regions and throughout the world. To investigate and quantify regional teleconnections, human–Earth system models will need to resolve global trade and resource depletion, as well as their economic consequences, within and across regions. This talk/poster will present examples of recent advances in the modeling of regional teleconnections in the energy and agricultural systems and their multisectoral implications. The talk/poster will also present results from work highlighting how trading goods around the world also virtually moves water that is embedded within such goods. The talk/poster will conclude with three high-priority areas for future human-Earth systems modeling research to further improve our understanding of the relationships between regional teleconnections and multisector dynamics: i.) improved modeling of trade to include bilateral relationships, ii.) improved representation of climate impacts and resource constraints (e.g. land and water), iii.) improved representation of emerging supply chains and sectors (e.g. critical minerals).