First ever international conference on climate overshoot at IIASA

The inaugural Overshoot Conference comes at a crucial time, when the reality of exceeding the 1.5°C threshold of the Paris Agreement is no longer a distant, abstract concept but increasingly likely. By convening this event, IIASA is not only providing a venue but also setting the intellectual stage for how the world engages with one of the most pressing challenges of our time. With participation from leading scientists and climate communicators worldwide, the conversations in Laxenburg promise to chart a way forward that is true to the Institute’s ethos of international collaboration and aims to shape the scientific narrative on overshoot.

“The Overshoot Conference aims to bring clarity to the complex challenges of climate overshoot,” says IIASA Integrated Climate Impacts Research Group Leader, Carl Schleussner, one of the conference organizers. “Through interdisciplinary discussion grounded in science we aim to illustrate both the risks we face as well as the entry points for enhanced action and implications for climate justice.”

In capturing the interdisciplinary challenge of overshoot the conference features eight themes, each led by an internationally leading expert on the topics of:

• Highest possible mitigation ambition under overshoot 
• Carbon dioxide Removal: Sustainability constraints and opportunities
• Earth System responses up to net zero and beyond
• Climate impact (ir)reversibility
• Overshoot legacy and tipping elements
• Adaptation and adaptation limits under overshoot
• Loss and damage
• Legal and justice implications of overshoot

These themes reflect the breadth of inquiry required to understand not just the physical aspects of climate overshoot, but also its social, ethical, and political implications. The conference and its themes will also be introduced in a podcast series that will be released over the coming weeks. The first episode of the podcast is available online.

A creative highlight of the conference is the inclusion of five diverse artistic contributions, with invited artists presenting their work alongside new concepts. At a market-style afternoon event, attendees will be able to engage directly with the artists, explore scientific posters, and participate in panels with policymakers and civil society groups.

Speaking about the significance of the event and IIASA’s role in convening it, IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program Director, Keywan Riahi, explained:

“For IIASA, the upcoming Overshoot Conference is more than a meeting; it is a natural continuation of the Institute’s mission to lead the scientific and cross-disciplinary discourse on pressing global challenges. Through IIASA’s focus on systems analysis we are particularly well positioned to explore the implications of “overshoot” where we need to connect science, policy, and ethical considerations into actionable solutions for the society.”

Further information: 
https://iiasa.ac.at/events/sep-2025/overshoot-conference-2025 
Conference program 
Podcast