News | IIASA

25 March 2026

Policy brief: Risk transfer and reduction through nature-based solutions

New insights from four NATURANCE Innovation Labs show how risk transfer and nature-based solutions can work hand in hand to address escalating climate risks. From flood resilience in the UK and Italy to wildfire and urban heat challenges across Europe, the brief highlights practical opportunities to scale NbS where they are needed most.

President Van der Bellen engaging with IIASA staff

25 March 2026

Exchange and dialogue at IIASA: A visit from Austria’s Federal President

On Tuesday, 17 March 2026, IIASA had the privilege of hosting Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen at Schloss Laxenburg for a program focused on exchange, conversation, and engagement with the Institute’s research community. Austria is IIASA’s host country and one of its founding members, with its membership dating back to 1973.

23 March 2026

CHOICE webinar showcases interactive tools bringing food-system models closer to stakeholders

The Horizon Europe project CHOICE hosted an online webinar presenting two interactive simulation environments designed to make food-system and climate modelling more accessible to stakeholders, policymakers, and non-expert users. The session featured live demonstrations and hands-on exercises exploring how behavioral change, dietary shifts, food waste reduction, and land-use decisions can shape sustainability outcomes.

20 March 2026

GIZ Interns Visit IIASA

On 12 March, a group of interns from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) visited IIASA to learn about its research activities and interact with its scientists.

18 March 2026

IIASA leadership strengthens partnerships during mission to Brazil

During a recent visit to Brazil, IIASA Director General, Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, and Deputy Director General, Karen Lips, met with representatives from government agencies, research institutes, universities, and NGOs to explore opportunities for collaboration on some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges.

11 March 2026

Centuries of net-negative emissions required to secure a safe climate future

Two new studies published in leading scientific journals conclude that stabilizing long-term climate risks will require sustained net-negative carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions for centuries. Approaching the problem from distinct perspectives – legal and technological feasibility on the one hand, and economic optimization under uncertainty on the other – the research converges on a consistent message: reaching net zero is not enough.

Aerial view of harvest fields with tractor in Poland

11 March 2026

Securing food production on a rapidly warming continent: EU climate advisors call for urgent action

The EU agri-food system is increasingly threatened by climate change while accounting for roughly one-third of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. A new report by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, with contributions from IIASA researchers, warns that current policies are insufficient to address rising climate risks and meet EU climate targets.

A group of people walking - migration/refugee concept

10 March 2026

ERC Starting Grant to explore habitability in a changing climate

Elisa Calliari, a Senior Research Scholar in the Systemic Risk and Resilience Research Group of the IIASA Advancing Systems Analysis Program, has been awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant for a new project investigating how climate change reshapes the habitability of places and how societies respond.

Éliane Ubalijoro with IIASA colleagues following her lecture at the Institute

05 March 2026

Building more inclusive pathways to sustainable landscapes

IIASA recently welcomed Distinguished Visiting Fellow Éliane Ubalijoro, CEO of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), for a lecture on the importance of gender and social inclusion in forest and landscape governance and an interdisciplinary discussion on equity and sustainability.