IIASA | International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

News

Navigating risk concept with arrows and exclamation marks

19 August 2026

Helping decision makers navigate climate risks

As climate impacts such as heatwaves, floods, and fires are intensifying worldwide, there is an urgent demand for information on how to respond. IIASA researchers and partners have developed a new tool that meets that need, integrating climate drivers, risks, and adaptation options in one framework grounded in IPCC science. It turns authoritative global climate assessments into guidance practitioners can use.

12 August 2026

Planning for the future through a population lens

IIASA researcher suggests a fundamentally different way for governments to plan for the future: using population as a common framework to connect health, education, food, jobs, housing, social protection, and climate risk. The approach integrates demographic data with sectoral planning to help governments make more coordinated, evidence-based decisions and improve population wellbeing.

06 August 2026

IIASA Director General: "This could be the coolest summer of the century"

As Austria experienced record-breaking temperatures on 4 August 2026, with more than 50 weather stations reporting all-time highs, IIASA Director General Professor Hans Joachim Schellnhuber joined Austrian public radio Ö1's Mittagsjournal to discuss what these extremes mean for the future, as well as why society must prepare for a much hotter climate.

Demographic concept highlighting the challenges of an ageing global population. AI generated

When demographic decline becomes a democratic question

In a new Expert Voices article published in Science, IIASA Population and Just Societies Program Director, Anne Goujon examines the concept of “dejuvenation” – the declining demographic, economic, cultural, and political weight of younger generations – and asks how aging societies can ensure that young people and future generations have a meaningful voice in shaping the decisions that will affect them most.

African children greeting bypassers from a balcony

When Uganda’s refugee policy meets children’s everyday lives

What does integration mean for a refugee child? Manya Oriel Kagan reflects on the research behind her new book, Schooling Experiences of Refugee Children in Uganda: Rethinking Integration Policies. Drawing on months of research in schools and communities in Kampala, Uganda, she explores how children's everyday experiences reveal both the possibilities and the limits of one of the world's most progressive refugee policies.

Researchers Highlight the Need for Ambitious Climate Policy as Austria Faces a Record-Breaking Heatwave

In an interview with Austria's ORF, IIASA researcher Daniel Huppmann explained how the country's current heat extremes align with decades of climate science and what they mean for Austria's future.

Das Fluss-Ypsilon bei Bakewell, Derbyshire, England

Nature Based Smart Water Grids for Integrated Water and Drought   (WATERGRID)

As climate pressures intensify, the need for smarter and more resilient water management has never been greater. The WATERGRID project tackles this challenge by advancing innovative, scalable solutions that integrate natural processes with cutting-edge technology. The following text outlines how the project will enhance drought resilience, improve water quality, and support sustainable water use across Europe.

Innovative Smart City Integrates Renewable Energy Sources and Modern Architecture to Promote Sustainability

Annual Report 2025: Energy, Climate, and Environment Program Highlights

The transition to a low-carbon future requires both ambitious action and a clear understanding of what works. In 2025, the Energy, Climate, and Environment Program produced research that helped clarify the opportunities, trade-offs, and practical pathways for accelerating climate mitigation and strengthening environmental sustainability.

Events

22 August 2026 Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and online

UNCCD COP17 side event: Restoring Land, Securing Futures – Carbon Farming in Greater Central Asia

24 August 2026 University of Aberdeen Business School, United Kingdom

IIASA at the 2nd Gender Equality, Diversity and Sustainability in Higher Education Conference

24 August 2026 Quebec City Convention Centre, Canada

Fire&Ice Workshop: Mapping boreal wildfire risk, population exposure, and health

Vision and Members

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an independent international research institute with National and Regional Member Organisations in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe.

Learn more about IIASA

Vision

The IIASA vision for 2021 to 2030 is to be the primary destination for integrated systems solutions and policy insights to current, emerging and novel global sustainability challenges, threats, and opportunities.

Members

Each IIASA member is represented by a National or Regional Member Organization that governs and funds the institute and acts as a bridge to link the country’s research and policy communities to IIASA.