News

Aerial photograph of newly planted trees next to a forest

05 June 2024

The 2024 State of CDR Report: Scaling up CO2 removal to meet Paris Targets

The 2024 State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report finds that around 7–9 billion tonnes of CO2 per year will need to be removed by mid-century from the atmosphere if the world is to meet the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target. The authors stress that reducing emissions is the primary way to achieve net-zero, but Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) has a critical role to play.
USA flag

23 April 2024

US Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna visits IIASA

H.E. Ambassador Laura Holgate, US Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, met with IIASA Director General John Schellnhuber to discuss advancing collaboration on leveraging systems analysis for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The visit strengthened ties between IIASA and the US, emphasizing a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange for informed decision making.
African people collecting recyclables from trash.

15 April 2024

Collaborating to devise a strategy for organic waste management in Uganda

IIASA researchers are participating in a new project kicking off in Uganda this week, in which IIASA and a number of international partners will work with Ugandan stakeholders to co-develop a national strategy for organic waste management in the country.

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 IIASA AIR program 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