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A consortium consisting of the SYRR group of IIASA, ETH Zurich, and the InsuResilience Solutions Fund (ISF) will undertake macro-level socio-economic risk modelling, scenario assessment and policy analysis to understand how public sector climate and disaster risk financing strategies interact and complement risk reduction interventions in order to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable countries. IIASA will build on its CatSim Model to not only assess fiscal implications but also study broader resilience impact on relevant case study countries studied. The project will finally seek to develop recommendations on the design of smart support regarding comprehensive risk management for the case study countries.

Learning from COVID-19 and other global threats, the TwR project aims to propose levers of change to trigger systemic transformations in societal decision-making systems which should radically improve both the resilience of our society to sustainability threats and its agility to adapt to new opportunities and needs.    

A multidisciplinary consortium of leading European universities, research institutes, companies, NGOs, and practitioners in the field of disaster risk reduction has started a major EU-funded project called MYRIAD-EU to improve our understanding, assessment, and management of disasters caused by combinations of different kinds of natural hazards (e.g. climate, hydrological, geological, and biological hazards).

'Risk-layering' strategies to reduce, retain and transfer disaster risk not only protect productive assets and lives, but implemented appropriately, could yield a number of additional benefits that could enhance wellbeing and resilience. Yet, conventional static macroeconomic models are not capable of analysing how alternative fiscal resource allocations to risk-layering options may affect developing countries’ growth trajectories under the impact of climate change.

Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) are invaluable for understanding the biosphere. However, as currently implemented by the international research community, these models suffer from a challenging accumulation of uncertainty. This project aims to address this problem by developing the foundations of a new generation of models centered on a “missing law” – adaptation and optimization principles rooted in natural selection.

Macromode addresses the recent shift in disaster risk management perspectives and how indirect losses due to natural hazard risks can be decreased within highly interlinked and complex systems such as the economy of a country.

Urban metabolism is a model to study the flow of energy and resources as they enter cities, how they are used and consumed, and how they exist cities as wastes. By studying urban metabolism, we can get a better understanding of how resources are used and ways to reduce negative environmental impact. As the fraction of people living in cities continue to expand around the world, urban metabolism analysis can help decision makers develop cities to become resource efficient, climate friendly, resilient and equitable.

In an interconnected world, Europe’s economy and society will be increasingly affected by climate change impacts that occur beyond its borders. This Horizon 2020 project explores how this will affect Europe’s economy, finance and policy.

COACCH (CO-designing the Assessment of Climate CHange costs) is a Horizon 2020 project that aims to advance knowledge regarding climate change impacts and policy that can be used directly by stakeholder communities.

IIASA is a core member of the Flood Resilience Alliance, an innovative partnership between research, development and humanitarian NGOs and the private sector that works together for making at step change with regard to policy, finance and practice of managing floods and other climate-related hazards towards increased community resilience.