Policy Briefs

IIASA Policy Briefs present the institute's latest research in a concise format for policymakers.

19 December 2019

Governance innovation through nature-based solutions

Policy Brief #25, December 2019. There is growing recognition that using the properties of nature can help provide viable and cost-effective solutions to a broad range of societal challenges, including disaster risk reduction.

18 July 2019

Redirect and unleash clean energy investment to achieve Paris climate targets

Policy Brief #24, July 2019. Investment in low-carbon energy is making a difference. IIASA research now provides decision makers with valuable data on the capital required to ramp up renewables, boost energy efficiency, redirect energy portfolios, and fill investment gaps.

green energy illustration with solar panels and windturbines

26 June 2019

Understand and reduce uncertainties to keep temperature targets on track

Policy Brief #23, June 2019. IIASA research has found explanations for variations in estimates of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. According to the researchers, actions set out in countries’ nationally determined contributions are described ambiguously, introducing uncertainty into the stocktaking process. This poses a danger that action plans will not be strengthened sufficiently to avoid dangerous levels of climate change.

Artistic symbol of global warming and climate change in southwest deserts.

22 June 2019

Designing effective multiple-objective energy, climate, and development policies

Policy Brief #22, June 2019. A study of seventeen climate and energy policies offers design guidelines for more effective policymaking and implementation.

21 December 2018

Between 1.5°C and 2°C – the big impacts of half a degree

Policy Brief #21, December 2018. IIASA research shows substantial benefits of climate mitigation and achieving the 1.5°C target, as well as where action is most urgently required to reduce the vulnerability of the world’s poorest to unavoidable climate impacts.

Person sitting on cracked earth by drought

20 October 2018

Digitalization will transform the global economy

Policy Brief #20, October 2018. New research has identified several adaptive actions that can both support national economies and prepare countries for a future shaped by digitalization.

19 September 2018

Education and the sustainable development agenda

Policy Brief #19, September 2018. With the launch of the global Sustainable Development Goals agenda in 2015 comes an opportunity to critically reflect on the role of education in, through, and for sustainable development.

18 July 2018

Ensuring a sustainable future for forests: The case of Ukraine

Policy Brief #18, July 2018. Research shows that large parts of forests in the mid-latitude region, including in Ukraine, are under serious threat of being obliterated by the end of the century unless urgent adaptive action is taken.

17 July 2018

Envisioning participatory governance of energy transition in Jordan

Policy Brief #17, July 2018. Jordan is entering a critical phase in terms of planning its future electricity supply architecture. The results of a four-year collaborative study by researchers from IIASA, Jordan, and Sweden, has led to the development of several recommendations for the Jordanian energy-policy process.