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
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.
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.
Input to 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
Peter Rafaj
Senior Research Scholar (PM)
Jens Borken-Kleefeld
Guest Senior Research Scholar (PM)
Gregor Kiesewetter
Senior Research Scholar (PM)
Adriana Gomez Sanabria
Senior Research Scholar (PM)
News
26 March 2026
From waste to opportunity: SOWU project delivers Uganda’s first national organic waste management strategy
IIASA researchers have been working with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), Stellenbosch University, and the African Centre for Clean Air, to provide financial and technical support to Uganda, through its National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), to develop the Uganda Sector Strategy for Organic Waste Management.
11 March 2026
Securing food production on a rapidly warming continent: EU climate advisors call for urgent action
The EU agri-food system is increasingly threatened by climate change while accounting for roughly one-third of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. A new report by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, with contributions from IIASA researchers, warns that current policies are insufficient to address rising climate risks and meet EU climate targets.
18 February 2026
Escalating climate risks demand coordinated action
As Europe faces increasingly severe climate impacts, the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change is calling on the EU to urgently strengthen its policy framework for effective and coherent adaptation. A new report, with contributions from IIASA researchers, highlights that adaptation and mitigation must advance together to safeguard Europe’s future.
Events
Online (closed expert workshop)
Expert workshop on food waste emissions methodologies and MRV systems
Austrian Academy of Sciences and ISTA
IIASA at Austria's Long Night of Research
Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria
International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum (IVECF) 2026
Focus
Annual Report 2025: Energy, Climate, and Environment Program Highlights
The transition to a low-carbon future requires both ambitious action and a clear understanding of what works. In 2025, the Energy, Climate, and Environment Program produced research that helped clarify the opportunities, trade-offs, and practical pathways for accelerating climate mitigation and strengthening environmental sustainability.
27 April 2026
Cleaning the air in South Asia: Why science and cooperation matter
IIASA researchers Pallav Purohit and Zbigniew Klimont examined the urgent challenge of air pollution in South Asia and the opportunities to address it through science-based policy and regional cooperation. In the run-up to the recent International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum, they drew on recent research and real-world examples to highlight how integrated approaches to energy, climate, and air quality can deliver cleaner air, improved health, and more resilient economies for nearly one billion people.
Publications
Wang, K., Tang, R., Zheng, H., Wagner, F. , Zhou, D., Ding, A., & Wang, H. (2026). Aerosol-induced dimming and deposition limit solar PV potential in China: regional heterogeneity and clean-air co-benefits. Atmospheric Environment 381 e122129. 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2026.122129.
Zhou, Y., He, H., Zhang, S. , Yu, F., & Yi, B. (2026). Impact of renewable energy resource endowment on capacity configuration optimization for wind-solar-storage-transmission systems. Energy Conversion and Management: X 31 e101957. 10.1016/j.ecmx.2026.101957.
Meng, W., Nieto, J., Guan, D., Meng, J., Sander, R. , Pöschl, U., Hubacek, K., Su, H., Tao, S., & Cheng, Y. (2026). Rethinking energy transition strategies for the European Union amid rising energy prices. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 123 (23) e2609606123. 10.1073/pnas.2609606123.
Baek, S.-H., Lee, H.-J., Jo, Y.-J., Kim, Y. , Park, M.-J., & Kim, C.-H. (2026). Impacts of climate-driven vegetation changes on air quality over East Asia: Modulation of biogenic VOC emissions and secondary pollutants. Environmental Research 299 e124392. 10.1016/j.envres.2026.124392. (In Press)