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

 ID 14056366 © Mikhail Dudarev | Dreamstime.com

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.

Photo 202479727 / Climate © Yana Bardichevska | Dreamstime.com

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.

© Jon Anders Wiken | Dreamstime.com

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.

Photo 22027252 © Deniscristo | Dreamstime.com

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.

Current ECE Research Themes

ECE Nexus

Just and Feasible Transitions

Scenario Services and Scientific Software

Access to Energy Services

Heterogeneities and Inequalities

Finance

Modeling for National Transformations

Materials

Models, tools, datasets

gas pipeline

Model for Energy Supply Strategy Alternatives and their General Environmental Impact (MESSAGEix)

India Forest

The NExus Solutions Tool (NEST)

IPCC

AR6 Scenario Explorer and Database

Air Pollution in India

Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS)

Projects

urban greenery

Energy Demand changes Induced by Technological and Social innovations (EDITS)

RESCUE

Response of the Earth System to overshoot, Climate neUtrality and negative Emissions (RESCUE)

Staff

Robert Sander profile picture

Robert Sander

Research Software Developer (PM)

Edward Byers profile picture

Edward Byers

Senior Research Scholar (IACC, S3)

Jared Lewis profile picture

Jared Lewis

Research Scholar (ECE)

Bas van Ruijven profile picture

Bas van Ruijven

Research Group Leader and Senior Research Scholar (S3); Senior Research Scholar (IACC, TISS)

News

Earth globe against planet map

31 May 2023

Quantifying Earth System Boundaries for a just world on a safe planet

IIASA researchers contributed to a new study in Nature, that for the first time presents quantifiable numbers and a solid scientific foundation to assess the state of our planetary health, not only regarding Earth System stability and resilience, but also in terms of human wellbeing and justice.
IIASA

26 May 2023

President of the UN General Assembly visits IIASA

IIASA was honored to welcome a delegation from the Office of the President of the 77th UN General Assembly led by H.E. Ambassador Csaba Kőrösi earlier this week.

Focus

Cargo ship anchored in the Orinoco river

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.
IIASA Corner

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.
Regional impacts

Publications