Exploring post-carbon futures through input-output participatory modelling

The future might not to be forecasted, but instead to be carefully constructed: the point is to try to shed light on different possible futures in order to gain a better understanding of the system and guide our choices and actions at the present. Revealing potential paths to a post-carbon future requires not only detailed knowledge of the current state and historical developments, but also qualified estimates of future development in particular areas of the socio-economic systems, as well as more general proposals, ideas and visions regarding future economic structures, available technologies, infrastructure and lifestyles. The transformation process requires understanding interconnections between developments in various economic sectors. We propose to base the related scenario building on a participatory process bringing together people with expert knowledge about future developments (organizational and technological changes that are supposed to be leading to a post-carbon economy) in particular economic sectors with people coming up with multifaceted proposals, ideas and visions about a post-carbon future that will be translated into the logic of environmentally extended input-output model of 2050.