ECE’s overarching vision is to provide evidence-based, scientific roadmaps for feasible systems transformations that simultaneously meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ambitious climate change mitigation targets.
Emphasis is placed specifically on local policy decisions and actions required in the short term to put the world on track to achieve long-term targets while assuring human health, wellbeing, and the reduction of social inequalities in a socially and economically sustainable manner. The program’s systems analytical tools enable it to act as an objective scientific broker in support of sustainable transformational processes. ECE combines the research portfolios of the former Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases, Energy, and Transitions to New Technologies programs.
The ECE program is organized in four Research Groups which encompass different thematic areas of research:
ECE Research Groups
Integrated Assessment and Climate Change (IACC)
The IACC Group leads the development of tools for a new generation of “coupled” global transformation pathways that are able to represent bottom-up local constraints and opportunities at the national and sub-national scale, which is a major focus of the ECE Program.
Pollution Management (PM)
The PM Group focusses on solving immediate and near-term environmental (health and ecosystems impacts from pollution), climate (non-CO2 greenhouse gases), and social (widening inequality gaps) problems in a cost-effective way, providing support to policymaking at local and regional scales.
Sustainable Service Systems (S3)
The S3 Group focuses on demand-side systems as entry points for sustainable transformations. The group analyses demand for energy and materials through the lens of service provision of mobility, shelter, and consumer goods, as well as how lifestyle changes can contribute to consumption reduction.
Transformative Institutional and Social Solutions (TISS)
The TISS Group explores innovative solutions to environmental issues that integrate social, institutional, and governance drivers with technological and economic considerations, with an emphasis on improving conditions for the most deprived and marginalized in society.
Models, tools, datasets
Model for Energy Supply Strategy Alternatives and their General Environmental Impact (MESSAGEix)
The NExus Solutions Tool (NEST)
AR6 Scenario Explorer and Database
Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS)
Projects
Energy Demand changes Induced by Technological and Social innovations (EDITS)
Response of the Earth System to overshoot, Climate neUtrality and negative Emissions (RESCUE)
Staff
Katrin Kaltenegger
Researcher (PM)
Arnulf Grubler
Emeritus Research Scholar (IACC, S3, TISS)
Keywan Riahi
Program Director and Principal Research Scholar (ECE); Principal Research Scholar (IACC, PM, S3, TISS)
Jihoon Min
Research Scholar (S3, TISS)
News
12 January 2023
Turning abandoned mines into batteries
A novel technique called Underground Gravity Energy Storage turns decommissioned mines into long-term energy storage solutions, thereby supporting the sustainable energy transition.
10 January 2023
Winners of the EDITS-ARTS 2022 Competition: Life in 2050 with much less energy
The EDITS-ARTS Competition called for submissions to imagine "life in 2050 with much less energy" into art, challenging positive-minded people to imagine a low energy future.
02 December 2022
IIASA researchers awarded for excellence in integrated assessment modeling
IIASA researchers Volker Krey and Jarmo Kikstra have been recognized by the Integrated Assessment Consortium (IAMC) for excellence in integrated assessment modeling.
Events
16 February 2023 Online
Final conference of the SHAPE Project
13 June 2023 Vienna, Austria
Vienna Energy Forum 2023
03 July 2023 Villa Grumello, Como Lake, Italy
NAVIGATE-ENGAGE Summer School 2023
Focus
06 December 2022
Challenges and opportunities for a South American waterway system
Julian Hunt writes about the challenges and opportunities that the development of a South American Waterway System could bring to the region.
29 November 2022
Bridging the gap between science and policy
Options Magazine, Winter 2022: Leila Niamir is a computational economist and climate researcher driven by a passion for global change.
28 November 2022
Improving water-energy access in Central Asia
Options Magazine, Winter 2022: To help mitigate the water crisis in Central Asia, researchers devised a carbon-neutral and reliable regional strategy by building seasonal pumped storage plants in major rivers.
Publications
Hunt, J. , Zakeri, B. , Nascimento, A., Gazoli, J.R., Bindemann, F.T., Wada, Y. , van Ruijven, B. , & Riahi, K. (2023). Compressed air seesaw energy storage: A solution for long-term electricity storage. Journal of Energy Storage 60 e106638. 10.1016/j.est.2023.106638.
Pelz, S. , Pachauri, S. , & Falchetta, G. (2023). Short-run effects of grid electricity access on rural non-farm entrepreneurship and employment in Ethiopia and Nigeria. World Development Perspectives 29 e100473. 10.1016/j.wdp.2022.100473.
Rainard, M., Smith, C. , & Pachauri, S. (2023). Gender equality and climate change mitigation: Are women a secret weapon? Frontiers in Climate 5 10.3389/fclim.2023.946712.
Sauer, P., Rao, N.D., & Pachauri, S. (2023). Explaining Income Inequality Trends: An Integrated Approach. In: Mobility and Inequality Trends. Eds. Bandyopadhyay, S. & Rodríguez, J.G., pp. 1-47 Emerald Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-80382-901-2 10.1108/S1049-258520230000030001.
Wang, J., Ciais, P., Gasser, T. , Chang, J., Tian, H., Zhao, Z., Zhu, L., Li, Z., & Li, W (2023). Temperature Changes Induced by Biogeochemical and Biophysical Effects of Bioenergy Crop Cultivation. Environmental Science & Technology 10.1021/acs.est.2c05253. (In Press)
