IIASA at the European Forum Alpbach 2026

The European Forum Alpbach brings together young people and leading minds from politics, business, civil society, culture, and science to exchange ideas and help shape a strong, united, and democratic Europe. Taking place in Alpbach, Austria, the Forum combines interdisciplinary and intergenerational dialogue with interactive formats aimed at turning reflection into action. Lips and Brutschin will contribute complementary IIASA perspectives on two closely connected challenges: strengthening society's capacity to make decisions amid deep uncertainty and developing integrated, systemic responses to climate change.

30 August, 15:00–16:45 CEST: Climate and Security Roundtable

IIASA Deputy Director General Karen Lips will participate in an exclusive Climate and Security Roundtable as part of a carefully selected group of thinkers and practitioners from across the European Forum Alpbach community. The conversation is intended to explore one of the defining strategic questions of our time: how planetary change, geopolitical shifts, and technological acceleration – and the dynamics between them – are reshaping Europe's future.

The roundtable serves as the starting point for an envisioned Lab co-hosted by EFA and Mercator Switzerland, to take place during the EFA editions of 2027-29. The Lab will focus on how these interconnected dynamics are fundamentally transforming Europe's strategic landscape and how to address them in an integrated manner, drawing on both multidisciplinary perspectives and cross-sector collaboration. Its purpose will be to bring together an interdisciplinary community dedicated to identifying avenues to set Europe on course for the next years, and with the ability to shape such decisions.

31 August, 15:30–16:30 CEST: Building the capability to act in radical uncertainty

On 31 August, Lips will also participate in the session “Building the capability to act in radical uncertainty.”

As climate risks intensify against a backdrop of geopolitical instability, decision-makers increasingly face the challenge of taking timely action before societal and political consensus has fully emerged. The session will explore how societies can better understand and coexist with disruptive change, and what institutional capacities and social readiness are needed to act effectively and collectively under conditions of radical uncertainty.

Lips will bring to the discussion extensive experience spanning scientific leadership, global environmental change, international science policy, and science diplomacy. Her work has emphasized international and interdisciplinary scientific collaboration, public engagement on environmental issues, and the role of science in informing policy and addressing global challenges.

26–28 August: Triple integration: Dilemmas and synergies for urban climate transformation

IIASA Senior Research Scholar Elina Brutschin will participate in the EFA26 Lab titled “Triple integration: Dilemmas and synergies for urban climate transformation – Climate adaptation, mitigation, carbon removal in cities.”

Cities are increasingly confronted with heatwaves, flooding, droughts, biodiversity loss, and other systemic environmental stresses, while also playing a central role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to climate impacts, and developing approaches to carbon removal. Yet adaptation, mitigation, and carbon removal are often addressed separately, potentially creating blind spots, missed synergies, and unintended trade-offs.

The Lab introduces “Triple Integration” as a systemic approach to understanding the interdependencies between these three dimensions of urban climate action. Through an intensive, co-creative format, participants from research, policymaking, urban practice, business, and communities will examine how cities can advance adaptation, mitigation, and carbon removal simultaneously in ways that are socially equitable, democratically grounded, and economically viable. The findings are expected to contribute to a compendium of challenges and barriers to implementing Triple Integration at the municipal level and inform further research by the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership.

Visit the official conference website for the full program and further information