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End of January saw the launch of the new EU-funded ATMOPOLIS project, an innovative study that integrates environmental and social sciences to understand how air and noise pollution exposure affect citizens across European cities and propose actions to help improve their quality of life. IIASA researchers are leading a work package to develop an integrated decision support tool for cities.

In January, IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber visited Israel as part of an effort to deepen scientific cooperation and advance discussions on Israel’s continued membership in IIASA. The visit highlighted the growing role of science diplomacy in connecting research, policy, and international collaboration to support evidence-based decision-making and long-term sustainability.

INQUIMUS 2025 organized by the Equity and Justice (EQU) Research Group was successfully held at IIASA in December 2025. The interactive three-day conference brought together around 50 participants from a wide range of disciplines, all sharing a commitment to making justice dimensions more explicit in transformative climate risk management and adaptation research and practice.

In an interview with the publication, Klimareporter°, IIASA Director-General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber reflects on the accelerating climate crisis and the search for solutions in a world approaching ecological overshoot.

In a feature published by German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau, IIASA Director-General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber warns of growing currents that undermine scientific evidence and international cooperation – trends he says, that risk dragging societies back toward myth and superstition.

In 2024, global temperatures exceeded 1.5°C for the first time, signaling that the world is on track to pass this limit within the next decade. In a new commentary, IIASA experts and collaborators argue that this new reality requires a rethink of accountability in climate policy.

IIASA researchers explored why mortality among adults of working age remains high in India alongside rapid economic growth, finding that education – at both individual and community levels – is more strongly associated with lower premature mortality than income or household wealth.

IIASA recently welcomed H.E. Ambassador Eduardo Paes Saboia, Ambassador of Brazil to Austria, for a high-level visit to the Institute’s headquarters in Laxenburg. The visit provided an opportunity for an in-depth exchange on IIASA’s research portfolio and on future avenues for strengthening cooperation between IIASA and Brazilian institutions.

Within the next few decades, intensifying heatwaves could expose a significant share of Europe’s cattle to dangerous levels of heat stress. New research maps where and how millions of animals may be affected by mid-century.

The SPES Explorer – European Pressing Issues Dashboard is a web-based interactive application that visualises how citizens across European countries have perceived their most pressing national problems over time. It combines country-level maps with time-series charts and offers optional breakdowns by age group and gender. Users can explore, compare, and download harmonised indicators derived from Eurobarometer surveys. SPES examines productivity, equity, sustainability, participation and human security. The dashboard documents citizens’ perspectives by showing how people prioritise problems in their countries. It supports scenario building and policy dialogue by revealing shifts in perceived challenges that may motivate, accelerate, or constrain sustainable development pathways.

Cities are expected to track sustainability progress with data that are often incomplete, outdated, or available only at national level. New research led by IIASA in collaboration with UN-Habitat finds that citizen science could address these gaps and support nearly 70% of global sustainability indicators, yet is currently used in only 4% of cases.

This webinar will focus on the Global Tipping Points Report 2025 and feature leading researchers and authors to unpack its insights on topics like coral reefs, governance strategies, and positive tipping points that can make a difference.

In a commentary published by Süddeutsche Zeitung (South German Newspaper), columnist Heribert Prantl reflects on the renewed importance of science diplomacy amid growing geopolitical tensions, highlighting IIASA as a notable exception to the current global trend of disengagement.

China’s rising demand for cooling doesn’t have to drive rising temperatures. A new study shows how rapid shifts to cleaner refrigerants and high-efficiency technologies could cut cooling-related climate impacts to near zero by mid-century.

Sergei Scherbov will present his contribution to the Bulletin of the World Health Organization’s theme issue on Health System Responses to Population Declines, at the launch event on 27 January 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand. 

In January, the Laxenburg Education Campus became a gathering place for curious minds, engaged citizens, and local forward-thinkers. In cooperation with IIASA, the Municipality of Laxenburg hosted the opening of the exhibition Climate & Me, welcoming visitors interested in sustainability.

The SIIA framework combines principles from technology assessment ("Technikfolgenabschätzung") with process and systems engineering across all life cycle stages. Its core focus is on the integration of processes, systems, and sectors; the role of storages, batteries, and securities in temporal integration; and the interaction of networks, grids, infrastructure and trade routes for spatial integration.