Land-Cover Modeling - Alexandria, Louisiana - B2 Scenario

Alexandria, Louisiana
2006 to 2050 Land-cover Change
IPCC SRES B2 Scenario

The IPCC SRES B2 scenario focuses on environmentally friendly lifestyles and local solutions to social and environmental problems. The emphasis on regional self-reliance results in a desire for local food and energy products. Environmental impacts on the landscape are minimized, with active restoration of natural ecosystems in suitable locations. In all modeled scenarios, natural landscapes (forest, grassland, shrubland, and wetland) fare the best in the B2 scenario, with actual expansion of natural landscapes in many areas.

In the Alexandria, Louisiana area, population growth results in modest increases in urban extent, but the impacts are minimized due to the desire for compact urban development and a minimal human footprint. A desire to maximize natural landscapes results in significant restoration of the once extensive bottomland hardwood forests in the adjacent Mississippi alluvial plain (with restored lands appearing as new "woody wetland" in the 2050 land-cover image). Restoration of natural landscapes also occurs in the surrounding uplands, with agricultural land restored to forest cover in the region.

B2 Scenario

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) B2

The IPCC SRES B2 scenario emphasizes environmental conservation and fragmented, heterogeneous socioeconomic conditions between regions. Population growth is slowed, but global populations still reach 10 billion by 2100. With lower international cooperation and a focus on regional self-reliance, convergence of per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), technological innovation, and demographic patterns are slow, leading to continued regional disparities in prosperity and living standards.

Economic growth in the B2 scenario is modest, with lack of global cooperation and a desire for environmentally friendly lifestyles limiting growth potential. Human welfare and environmental concerns are addressed at local to regional scales. Energy use is regionally fragmented, with an emphasis on local, yet environmentally friendly, energy sources.