News

Agricultural landscape, biodiversity

28 April 2025

Balancing nature restoration and land use: a path to sustainable growth in the EU

Can nature restoration and economic productivity go hand in hand? A new study finds that the EU’s ambitious Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) is essential to achieving biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation targets and that it could be implemented without compromising the supply of agricultural and forest products.
Portrait of an Asian girl wearins a face mask to protect against PM 2.5 dust and air pollution.

21 March 2025

Strengthening policy for clean air and climate solutions in the ASEAN region

A new report released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), highlights the urgent need for integrated policies to address air pollution and climate change across Southeast Asia. IIASA researchers contributed as authors of the first chapter, laying the foundation for science-based policy action.
Air Pollution Hanoi

20 March 2025

Solutions to urgent environmental protection challenges in Vietnam

Zbigniew Klimont, who leads the Pollution Management Research Group in the IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program, was invited to share the group's expertise in assisting cities to mitigate air pollution at a recent conference co-organized by the Hanoi People's Committee and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) - the IIASA National Member Organization for Vietnam and its scholarly community.

Focus

27 June 2024

Improving national SDG reporting through citizen science

Working with IIASA researchers, Ghana pioneered the adoption of a citizen science approach to address the problem of plastic pollution in marine  environments. Further analysis highlighted how a similar citizen science data validation and reporting process can benefit reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in other countries.
marine litter

27 June 2024

IIASA analysis underpins the European Commission’s 2040 climate target recommendation

IIASA researchers played a central role in the European Commission’s recommendation for the 2040 climate target, from delivering the scientific  foundation and establishing dialogue with the community, to being among the renowned scientists selected as members of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change.
EU

Impacts

19 August 2021

Water for growth

Impact Sheet #20, August 2021. IIASA and partners in East Africa are studying how the region’s economic development could affect water resources.
Picture of a fisherman and two boats on a lake

18 January 2021

Assessing biofuels for transport

Impact Sheet #18, January 2021. IIASA models feed into the biofuel policies of international aviation and the EU road transportation sector, helping to steer them towards cleaner feedstocks.
airplane flying in the sunset

11 January 2021

Limiting global temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels

Impact Sheet #19, January 2021. IIASA research has guided the global policymaking community in their efforts to limit global temperature increase to this ambitious goal. When the world’s attention was focussed toward the 2°C target, the institute’s sophisticated analysis mapped credible pathways towards the 1.5°C goal
illustration of natural landscape with birds

Policy briefs

09 April 2024

Forest science and education in Ukraine: Priorities for action

Ukraine’s forest sector is suffering unprecedented challenges. War has impacted both forests and forestry – devastating forest areas, infrastructure and industry, as well as causing ‘brain drain’ and capacity loss due to the disruption of research institutions and the displacement of students and scientists. These impacts are compounded by factors including climate change, unstable forest health dynamics, landscape fires, and an overall decrease in forest productivity.
Pine trees

04 October 2023

ENGAGE Summary for Policymakers

As the world faces the risks of dangerous climate change, policymakers, industry and civil society leaders are counting on Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) to inform and guide strategies to deliver on the objectives of the Paris Agreement (PA) and subsequent agreements.
ENGAGE Summary for Policymakers

03 October 2023

Stakeholder engagement in climate change solutions

Policy Brief #42, October 2023. Workshops bringing scientists together with stakeholders from various backgrounds have shown the importance of dialogue for co-designing climate pathways and highlighted the need for physical meetings and capacity building.
policy  brief 42

Policy applications

22 February 2023

Centre for Integrated Assessment Modelling (CIAM)

Since 1999 IIASA has been hosting the Centre for Integrated Assessment Modelling (CIAM), one of the four centres assigned for the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP) of the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.
Schloß Laxenburg

22 February 2023

GAINS analyses for the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP15 in Copenhagen

As input to the climate negotiations at COP15 in Copenhagen 2009, IIASA has developed a coherent international comparison of greenhouse gas mitigation efforts among Annex I Parties in 2020. This web site provides interactive access to an on-line calculator, underlying input data, and documentation of the methodology.
Air pollution

22 February 2023

Pollution Management in Developing Countries

There is an urgent need in the developing world for increased support on pollution management in order to respond to the magnitude of the threat to human health and economies. Responding to pollution is a challenge that is solvable in the near term to save lives and unlock economic opportunity through action at the local, national, regional and global levels. The methods developed by the PM Group offer an integrated perspective on cost-effective policy interventions that improve air quality, reduce negative health impacts, and deliver benefits for a wide range of development goals.
Pollution management