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
Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP)
IIASA's GAINS model shapes international negotiations on international emission reduction accords under the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.
22 February 2023
Input to European Union Climate Policies
For more than 10 years, IIASA's GAINS model provides scientific input to the development of the climate policy proposals of the European Commission, dealing with (a) emission projections, mitigation potentials and costs for non-CO2 greenhouse gases, and (b) interactions and synergies between climate and air pollution strategies.
22 February 2023
European Union Air Quality Policies
Since 1995, IIASA's GAINS model has provided quantitative scientific analyses for the key air quality policy initiatives of the European Commission.
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
Xiuming Zhang
Research Scholar (Marie Curie Fellow) (PM)
Wolfgang Schöpp
Guest Senior Research Scholar (PM)
Carmen Marcos
Program and Project Officer (ECE, PM)
Pengnan Jiang
PKU-IIASA International Postdoctoral Fellow (PM, CDAT)
News
20 December 2024
Increase in electric vehicles could create unwanted pollution hotspots
While electric vehicles have become a cornerstone of the global energy transition, a study by researchers from Princeton University and IIASA has demonstrated that refining the critical minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries could create pollution hotspots near manufacturing hubs.
18 December 2024
IIASA and Beihang University prolong collaboration to mitigate air pollution in China
On 13 December 2024, a high-level delegation from Beihang University visited IIASA to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formally prolonging the fruitful collaboration between the two organizations. The MoU covers a number of substantive areas, including maintenance of the GAINS-Beihang model, which assesses air pollution in China and its interconnectedness with climate change.
19 November 2024
IIASA researchers recognized on Clarivate’s 2024 Highly Cited Researchers™ List
The 2024 Highly Cited Researchers™ list by Clarivate celebrates individuals whose research has had a profound and wide-reaching impact. IIASA is proud to have its Director General, Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, as well as 10 additional exceptional researchers associated with the Institute recognized for their contributions in various fields.
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
Wang, J., Wang, Y., Zhang, S. , & Yi, B. (2025). Drivers of environmental externality reduction in China's electric power industry: A spatial-temporal analysis. Journal of Environmental Management 373 e123612. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123612. Ren, K., Tang, X., Huang, C., Willerström, J., & Höök, M. (2025). Prospective metal requirements assessment of China's wind-power and photovoltaics: Implications for emerging anthropogenic mines. Resources, Conservation and Recycling 215 e108088. 10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.108088. Deepshikha, Chandra, N., Höglund-Isaksson, L. , Patra, P.K., & Dey, S. (2025). Regional Trends and Spatial Gradients of Total Column Methane over India, China, and USA─Implications for Emissions from Coal Mining and Oil/Gas Exploitation. Environmental Science & Technology 10.1021/acs.est.4c06201. (In Press) Frątczak-Müller, J., Rychła, A., Winiwarter, W. , & Amon, B. (2024). Social conditions of smallholder dairy farmers influence their environmental decisions. Scientific Reports 14 (1) e31020. 10.1038/s41598-024-82120-4. Purohit, P. , Chao, T., Cooke, R., Dhont, H., Kaur, R., Peixoto, R., Walter-Terrinoni, H., & Woodcock, A. (2024). The Importance of Lifecycle Refrigerant Management in Climate and Ozone Protection. Sustainability 17 (1) e53. 10.3390/su17010053.