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.
© Jon Anders Wiken | Dreamstime.com
The S3 Group have two overarching research objectives. First, to understand the evolution of behaviors and lifestyles around energy services and assess their environmental impacts; and second, to identify and understand policy interventions that can change behaviors and lifestyles to minimize environmental impacts. The group’s research binds together work on three domains that are critical for a transformation toward sustainable societies, namely buildings, mobility, and consumer goods, which are connected through changes in infrastructures and lifestyles. S3 aims to establish and lead a research community on demand-side transitions and to innovate conceptual frameworks for demand-side model comparisons.
Themes
Scenario Services and Scientific Software
Access to Energy Services
Finance
Sustainable buildings
Models, tools, datasets
Model for Energy Supply Strategy Alternatives and their General Environmental Impact (MESSAGEix)
ENGAGE Scenario Explorer
NGFS-IIASA Scenario Explorer
AR6 Scenario Explorer and Database
Projects
Exploring National and Global Actions to reduce Greenhouse gas Emissions (ENGAGE)
Next generation of AdVanced InteGrated Assessment modelling to support climaTE policy making (NAVIGATE)
Energy Demand changes Induced by Technological and Social innovations (EDITS)
Sustainable development pathways achieving Human well-being while safeguarding the climate And Planet Earth (SHAPE)
Staff
David McCollum
Guest Senior Research Scholar (ECE, IACC, S3)
Mali NISNIK
Guest Researcher (S3)
Jihoon Min
Senior Research Scholar (S3, TISS)
Aneeque Javaid
Research Scholar (IACC, S3)
News
04 November 2026
Play your part in circular change!
To achieve a circular economy, we need actions by all societal actors, including governments, businesses, and citizens. Citizens can contribute to a circular economy not only by engaging in circular consumption, but also by engaging in circular citizenship behaviors. These are aimed at urging governments, businesses, and other citizens to take actions that facilitate and encourage systemic change towards a circular economy. Thereby, they could allow for far-reaching transformations and make circular consumption more attractive and feasible.
21 October 2026
New UN report lays out emissions cuts needed for return to 1.5°C
IIASA researchers contributed to the UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2026: The Point of Return, which finds that urgent emissions cuts are needed to minimize global warming above 1.5°C and return to this threshold by the end of the century.
02 July 2026
CircEUlar contributes to discussions at the 35th Meeting of the International Resource Panel
As part of the 35th Meeting of the International Resource Panel (IRP), held in Berlin from 8-12 June 2026, CircEUlar and its sister project CIRCOMOD contributed to a dedicated side event for IRP Steering Committee members focused on the role of circular economy measures in greenhouse gas emission mitigation.
Events
St. Pölten, Austria
IIASA at European Researchers' Night
Focus
02 July 2026
The social side of climate action
What can millions of online conversations tell us about climate action? A new dashboard developed at IIASA uses AI to analyze social media discussions on food, mobility, and home energy choices, helping researchers track the social norms, barriers, and motivations that shape low-carbon lifestyles. By complementing traditional surveys with large-scale social media data, the LOW-AI project offers a new perspective on how climate-relevant behaviors are discussed and adopted in everyday life.
Annual Report 2025
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.
Publications
Cao, T., Mastrucci, A. , Sugiyama, M., van Ruijven, B. , & Henrysson, M. (2027). Longer lives, longer-lived buildings: Implications of population aging and low-demand scenarios for Japan's residential sector decarbonization. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 122 e108632. 10.1016/j.eiar.2026.108632.
Tsaligopoulos, A., Aletta, F., Maracchini, G., Asdrubali, F., Aumond, P., Guarnaccia, C., Harvie-Clark, J., Heijungs, R., Lawrence, B.T., Mastrucci, A. , Torija, A.J., & Torresin, S. (2027). A framework for defining, quantifying and implementing a noise footprint approach. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 122 e108629. 10.1016/j.eiar.2026.108629.
Eker, S. , Reiter, C. , Liu, Q., Kuhn, M., & Lutz, W. (2026). Wellbeing cost of carbon. Global Sustainability 9 e1. 10.1017/sus.2025.10042.
Zakeri, B. , Surana, K., Hunt, J. , Krey, V. , & Riahi, K. (2026). The AI–energy storage nexus: opportunities for clean energy transitions. Energy and Climate Change 7 e100259. 10.1016/j.egycc.2026.100259.
Fan, Y.V., Wilson, C. , Kamiya, G., & Mastrucci, A. (2026). Data centre energy demand projections within shared socioeconomic pathways. Energy and Climate Change 7 e100253. 10.1016/j.egycc.2026.100253.