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.
The PM Group addresses sustainability challenges in the near and long term through an improved understanding of the multiple benefits of policies and their distribution across society. The group has a strong focus on the development of new approaches for multi-sectoral policy interventions to manage pollution across different media (air, water, and soil) at various scales to address near-term concerns and enable long-term transformations and their public support towards a sustainable future. In particular, the group endeavors to enhance the systems perspective approach to address and explore issues such as the interactions and environmental impacts of pollution; assessment of sources of non-CO2 greenhouse gases; mitigation opportunities; approaches to address nutrient and material cycling; options for more equitable solutions; and improved methods for estimating the health and economic benefits of policy interventions.
Themes
Nutrient cycling
Non-CO2 greenhouse gas sources
Scenario Services and Scientific Software
Models, tools, datasets
Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS)
Global emission fields of air pollutants and GHGs
Policy applications
22 February 2023
The Arctic Council
The Arctic has been warming at an alarming pace, double the global warming. Since 2008 AIR scientists have been involved in a number of activities associated with the Arctic, including contribution to the work of the Arctic Council Task Force on Short-Lived Climate Forcers, Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), The International Cryosphere Climate Initiative (ICCI).
22 February 2023
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)
In the '“Integrated Assessment of Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone” of UNEP and WMO, IIASA identified 16 practical measures that would improve human health, secure crop yields and, at the same time, reduce global temperature increase in the near-term by up to 0.5 degrees.
To initiate concrete action on these measures, US State Secretary Hillary Clinton launched a 'Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short Lived Climate Pollutants' in February 2012, complementing efforts on CO2 emissions taken by countries under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. By early 2018, the Coalition was joined by more than 50 countries and more than 60 non-state partners.
22 February 2023
Task Force on Integrated Assessment Modelling (TFIAM) under the LRTAP Convention
The Task Force’s main focus is to combine information produced by the various scientific working groups of the LRTAP Convention and through computer models assist in the development of legal instruments.
Projects
Finding solutions to pollution caused by shipping in Europe (EMERGE)
Development of a global integrated assessment modeling system for climate-air pollutants management focused on Northeast Asia (GUIDE)
Development of a collaborative, integrated management framework to improve future air quality in Northeast Asia (AQNEA)
Exploring National and Global Actions to reduce Greenhouse gas Emissions (ENGAGE)
Staff
Wolfgang Schöpp
Guest Senior Research Scholar (PM)
Chen Huang
Research Scholar (PM)
Fabian Wagner
Principal Research Scholar (PM, TISS); CDAT Dean and Principal Research Scholar (CDAT)
Flora Brocza
Researcher (PM)
News
16 August 2024
Nitrogen interventions as a key to better health and robust ecosystems
Food and energy production have caused substantial nitrogen pollution, harming air and water quality and posing risks to the climate and ecosystems. A new study shows how nitrogen interventions can reduce pollution, improving health, and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
14 August 2024
Exploring options for the sustainable management of phosphorus
Focusing on Sweden, a new IIASA study assessed the feasibility of recovering phosphorus from municipal wastewater as an alternative sustainable source of this non-renewable mineral.
30 July 2024
Cutting overlooked methane emissions central for limiting global warming
To mitigate the climate crisis, we must tackle methane emissions now. In a new article published in Frontiers in Science, an international team of researchers set out three imperatives to cut methane emissions and shared a new tool to help find the most cost-effective ways of doing so.
Events
CICERO Center for International Climate Research, Oslo
HYway Kick-off meeting
Focus
30 March 2024
Transforming waste into a valuable resource
As the world marks the International Day of Zero Waste, Adriana Gómez-Sanabria highlights that the path to zero waste will require a shift in society’s current consumption and production patterns. Originally conceived to shield humanity and the environment from the fallout of our actions, waste management systems must now evolve into engines of sustainability.
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.
Publications
Petrescu, A.M.R., Peters, G.P., Engelen, R., Houweling, S., Brunner, D., Tsuruta, A., Matthews, B., Patra, P.K., Belikov, D., Thompson, R.L., Höglund-Isaksson, L. , Zhang, W., Segers, A.J., Etiope, G., Ciotoli, G., Peylin, P., Chevallier, F., Aalto, T., Andrew, R.M., Bastviken, D., Berchet, A., Broquet, G., Conchedda, G., Dellaert, S.N.C., Denier van der Gon, H., Gütschow, J., Haussaire, J.-M., Lauerwald, R., Markkanen, T., van Peet, J.C.A., Pison, I., Regnier, P., Solum, E., Scholze, M., Tenkanen, M., Tubiello, F.N., van der Werf, G.R., & Worden, J.R. (2024). Comparison of observation- and inventory-based methane emissions for eight large global emitters. Earth System Science Data 16 (9) 4325-4350. 10.5194/essd-16-4325-2024. Zhang, S., Zhang, C., Cai, W., Bai, Y., Max, C., Chang, N., Chen, B., Chen, H., Cheng, L., Dai, H., Dai, X., Fan, W., Fang, X., Gao, T., Geng, Y., Guan, D., Hu, Y., Hua, J., Huang, C., Huang, H., Huang, J., Huang, X., Ji, J., Jiang, Q., Jiang, X., Kiesewetter, G. , Li, T., Liang, L., Lin, B., Lin, H., Liu, H., Liu, Q., Liu, X., Liu, Z., Liu, Z., Liu, Y., Lu, B., Lu, C., Luo, Z., Ma, W., Mi, Z., Ren, C., Marina, R., Shen, J., Su, J., Sun, Y., Sun, X., Tang, X., Maria, W., Wang, C., Wang, Q., Wang, R., Warnecke, L. , Wei, W., Wen, S., Xie, Y., Xiong, H., Xu, B., Yan, Y., Yang, X., Yao, F., Yu, L., Yuan, J., Zeng, Y., Zhang, J., Zhang, L., Zhang, R., Zhang, S., Zhang, S., Zhao, M., Zheng, D., Zhou, H., Zhou, J., Zhou, Z., Luo, Y., & Peng, G. (2024). Taking stock of climate action for a healthy and thriving future. Chinese Science Bulletin 69 (27) 4005-4011. 10.1360/TB-2024-0439. Bagheri, M., Gomez Sanabria, A. , & Höglund-Isaksson, L. (2024). Economic feasibility and direct greenhouse gas emissions from different phosphorus recovery methods in Swedish wastewater treatment plants. Sustainable Production and Consumption 49 462-473. 10.1016/j.spc.2024.07.007. Zhao, D., Liu, J., Sun, L., Hubacek, K., Pfister, S., Feng, K., Zheng, H., Peng, X., Wang, D., Yang, H., Shen, L., Lun, F., Zhao, X., Chen, B., Keskinen, M., Zhang, S. , Cai, J., & Varis, O. (2024). Water consumption and biodiversity: Responses to global emergency events. Science Bulletin 69 (16) 2632-2646. 10.1016/j.scib.2024.03.049. Guo, Y., Zhao, H., Winiwarter, W. , Chang, J. , Wang, X., Zhou, M., Havlik, P. , Leclere, D., Pan, D., Kanter, D., & Zhang, L. (2024). Aspirational nitrogen interventions accelerate air pollution abatement and ecosystem protection. Science Advances 10 (33) eado0112. 10.1126/sciadv.ado0112.