Sub-global Scenarios that Extend the Global SSP Narratives: Literature Database, Version 1, 2014-2021

The Sub-global Scenarios That Extend the Global SSP Narratives: Literature Database, v1, 2014-2021 consists of 37 columns of bibliographic data, methodological and analytical insights from 155 articles published from 2014 to 2021 that extended the narratives of global SSPs.

Since 2015, local and regional scale SSPs have grown largely in addressing climate change impact, adaptation, and vulnerability assessments (CCIAV) at sub-global levels. Common elements of these studies, besides their focus on CCIAV, are the use of both quantitative and qualitative elements of the SSPs. Increasingly, both quantitative and qualitative studies build on the qualitative narratives developed for broad regions or continents, but it is not known to what extent the "second generation" SSPs have been utilized. Also there is a lack of standard methodology or guidelines in the CCIAV community on how to extend SSPs. Researchers face challenges using global SSPs in different climate research communities. A clear methodology to downscaling and linking between global and local is left to the needs of the local scenario users, with little guidance on cross scale interactions (beyond model-based approaches). To date, the overall balance to address complexity in CCIAV has been addressed in regional versions, in line with varying strengths of links across scales and process of scenario development. However, an assessment of the balance between the final scenario product and salience, resulting from the process of scenario development, is still lacking.

To explore and learn from current literature on novel methods and insights on extending SSPs, the sub-global extended SSPs literature database is constructed in the research for analyses. The database was developed in four stages: searches, screening, data extraction and coding. The search stage incorporated three approaches: using a search string in three academic databases (Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection and ScienceDirect), a targeted search of a specific relevant database (ICONICS) and a targeted selection in Google Scholar of all papers that cited the publication of the global SSP narratives. In the screening step, we assessed criteria for full-text papers for eligibility including relevant typologies, methodologies, and other criteria. Finally, data from eligible papers was extracted and entered in a coding framework in Excel workbook spreadsheet. The coding framework resulted in the 37 columns to systematise coding of data from the 155 papers selected along several different dimensions, including categories of papers or analysis, several subcategories for SSP Applications and SSP Extensions, specific SSPs used, specific Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) used, typologies of extensions of qualitative and quantitative SSPs, types of models and nature of the extended SSPs.

The methods and definitions for generating and coding the database are available as a PDF file (389 KB).

Download the Sub-global Scenarios that Extend the Global SSP Narratives: Literature Database, Version 1, 2014-2021 (245 KB Excel Workbook).

The dataset is a list of 155 articles published over the period 2014-2021 that extended the narratives of global SSPs.

Pedde, S.^1,*, O. Johnson², H. Carlsen³, E. Kemp-Benedict⁴, K. Kok¹, S. Talebian³, X. Xing⁵. 2022. Sub-global Scenarios that Extend the Global SSP Narratives: Literature Database, Version 1, 2014-2021 (Preliminary Release). Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC). https://doi.org/10.7927/w6w3-3896. Accessed DAY MONTH YEAR.

¹Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
²Government Office for Science, London, United Kingdom
³Stockholm Environment Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
⁴Stockholm Environment Institute, Somerville, MA, United States
⁵Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University, Palisades, NY, United States

The authors would like to thank Carole Green and Robert Chen, for their suggestions, feedback or support to this work.

This is a preliminary open data release, pending peer review of the data and associated journal article. Following the peer review process, data curation will be completed by the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) and the data will be disseminated through the SEDAC catalog.