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.

IACC’s central goal is the development of response strategies and alternative pathways towards a low-carbon economy, taking into account the many linkages to all aspects of society and the environment. For this purpose, the IACC group develops and maintains methods, including the MESSAGEix model which is at the heart of IIASA's Integrated Assessment Modeling framework.

First, the integration of climate change impacts into the IAM framework to account for the main benefits of mitigation, that is, avoided climate change impacts which, in turn, has implications for a wide set of sustainable development objectives. Better understanding how climate impacts will affect different parts of the population, taking into account the aspects of vulnerability and equity and the degree to which affected population segments are able to adapt, will therefore be a key research focus leading to a quantification of the benefits of mitigation beyond simple economic considerations based on monetized impacts.

Second, material cycles are integrated into the IAM framework to broaden the strategy space beyond classic energy- and land-based climate mitigation strategies by including important elements of circular economy approaches. Initially, the focus is on bulk materials such as steel, cement, non-ferrous metals, or plastics, with the aim to also include important critical materials for key low-carbon technologies, such as batteries and fuel cells.

Third, with decision-making support requiring input at different levels - global, regional, national, and subnational - the integration of analysis across different spatial scales is a research focus relevant to all the previously listed topics of the IACC group, requiring further methodological and tool development. Key aspects of this challenge will be, on the one hand, increasing the spatial and temporal granularity of relevant parts of the IAM framework, and on the other, explicitly representing a wider set of policy options, for example, to develop climate action plans at the national or subnational scale.  

Finally, IIASA operates a community data hub for global climate change mitigation and transformation pathways, for example, by hosting multiple key datasets for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium (IAMC). These globally-focused efforts are complemented by activities that support the development of national mitigation strategies as well as sector-specific activities such as supporting the finance community in using mitigation scenarios to assess the transition and physical climate change risks of, for instance, investment portfolios.

Models, tools, datasets

gas pipeline

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

India Forest

The NExus Solutions Tool (NEST)

Photo 134399877 © Designer491 | Dreamstime.com

ENGAGE Scenario Explorer

IPCC

AR6 Scenario Explorer and Database

Projects

RESCUE

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

Beige and colored pawns grouped together

Exploring National and Global Actions to reduce Greenhouse gas Emissions (ENGAGE)

From linear economy to a circular economy

Developing circular pathways for a EU low-carbon transition (CircEUlar)

Photo 260785013 © Mirko Kuzmanovic | Dreamstime.com

Development of a global integrated assessment modeling system for climate-air pollutants management focused on Northeast Asia (GUIDE)

Staff

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Anindya Bhattacharya

Guest Research Scholar (IACC)

Deepak Shah profile picture

Deepak Shah

Research Software Developer (ECE, IACC)

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Bing Zhu

Guest Senior Research Scholar (IACC, S3)

Gamze Ünlü profile picture

Gamze Ünlü

Researcher (IACC, TISS)

News

Hydrogen economy vector illustration. Concept with connected icons related to hydrogen use as fuel

28 April 2023

How solid air can spur sustainable development

The green hydrogen economy is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. However, one of the challenges of constructing a global hydrogen economy is hydrogen transportation by sea. A new paper proposes solid air as a medium for recycling cold energy across the hydrogen liquefaction supply chain.
Green mountains and valley with waterfall

24 March 2023

Urgent need to ramp up climate action to secure a liveable future for all

IIASA researchers contributed to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released earlier this week. The report highlights that there are multiple feasible and effective options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change, and they are available now.
Carbon tax concept with industrial plant

23 March 2023

The global economics of climate action

Climate change has serious consequences for the environment and people and is a major threat to economic stability. A new assessment reviews innovative, integrated research that underpins the economic case for strong near-term climate action.

Focus

04 December 2022

IIASA and Austria: supporting Austria into a sustainable future

Options Magazine, Winter 2022: IIASA researchers have been working closely with all levels of Austrian society including scientific institutions, policymakers, and the public to help the country move towards a more sustainable and just future.
IIASA and Austria

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

28 November 2022

Linking health status and clean cooking practices in South Africa

Options Magazine, Winter 2022: Transitioning to clean cooking services in South Africa can reduce existing health inequalities by improving the health of socially disadvantaged and marginalized groups.
Regional impacts

Publications