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IIASA proudly looks back on another successful year. Our year-end video showcases some of the milestones that have shaped IIASA's growth and impact in the global scientific community.

Earlier this month, IIASA and the Joint Research Center (JRC) of the European Commission (EC) signed a collaboration agreement to build knowledge in the field of demography. The aim is to address gaps in the labor market and vulnerability to climate change, and ensure that IIASA research is directly communicated to EU policymakers.

Citizen science and artificial intelligence (AI) offer immense potential for tackling urgent sustainability challenges, from health to climate change. Combined, they offer innovative solutions to accelerate progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). IIASA researchers explored the synergies between citizen science and AI, specifically highlighting how the integration of citizen science data and approaches into AI can enhance sustainable development monitoring and achievement while mitigating AI risks.

The 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) underscored Kazakhstan’s leadership in sustainable land management during the side event titled “Carbon Farming in the Dry Land Belt of Northern Eurasia: Unlocking Win-Win Opportunities.” This session, co-organized by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre, explored how innovative carbon farming practices can combat land degradation, mitigate climate change, and foster socio-economic development.

IIASA is proud to announce that its Director General, Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, has been awarded the prestigious German Cultural Policy Prize 2024. The award, presented by the German Cultural Council, recognizes his exceptional and long-standing contributions to sustainability and climate protection.

A new report, “Browsing Damage - What is Happening in the Forest and What Happens in the Statistics?”, published by the Swedish Forest Agency, provides new insights on the ongoing debate surrounding moose management and its impact on Sweden's forests.  Co-authored by Agriculture, Forestry, and Ecosystem Services (AFE) researcher Oskar Franklin and scientists from Sweden, the report highlights the complex relationship between moose populations, pine tree densities, and browsing damage from both statistical and biological perspectives. 

IIASA researchers contributed to a new World Bank report titled, A Blueprint for Resilience: Charting the Course for Water Security in Europe and Central Asia. This comprehensive publication provides a methodological framework, in-depth analysis, and actionable recommendations to strengthen water security in countries and regions, and build resilience in the face of climate change, rising water demands, and growing geopolitical tensions.

The German Environment Agency (UBA) is adopting the IIASA MESSAGEix framework to build up integrated assessment modeling capacity. The framework is primarily used for analyzing and designing energy systems and their interactions with the economy, the environment, and the society. On 10 December 2024, IIASA Director General, Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber and UBA representatives signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), paving the way for future cooperation.

In a recent report, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) concluded that Pakistan will require $391 billion to achieve the low-carbon transition by 2050. The report uses the IIASA MESSAGEix framework to analyze the low-carbon transition pathways in Pakistan, the energy sector, the greenhouse gas emissions, and the associated challenges.  

The FRAMEwork project has unveiled its updated knowledge and action platform, Recodo, enhancing its features and design to better serve stakeholders in agrobiodiversity. Developed by researchers in the IIASA Novel Data Ecosystems for Sustainability Research Group and other project partners, Recodo connects and empowers diverse actors and audiences, including Farmer Clusters and other agrobiodiversity stakeholders.

This year, the award is granted to four researchers: Markus Amann, Joanne Linnerooth-Bayer, Sten Nilsson, and Sergei Scherbov, whose pioneering work has not only guided the global political discourse in the fields of demography, climate change, and the environment but also shaped IIASA as the international hub for systems analysis.

As global demand for raw materials intensifies due to the material needs of digitalization and decarbonization, the new MINE-THE-GAP project aims to address a critical knowledge gap in mining's environmental and social impacts by creating scalable, reliable mining indicators using advanced satellite data and artificial intelligence (AI).

As part of the A-LEVERS project, experts on climate change met in-person in Vienna to create feasible portfolios of adaptation measures to key climatic risks in Austria

The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) provided a global stage for advancing carbon farming initiatives in Kazakhstan, a country uniquely positioned to drive nature-based climate solutions in the Asian Drylands Belt (ADB). The side event, titled “Carbon Farming in Kazakhstan: Unlocking the Opportunity,” was held at the QAZAQSTAN Pavilion in Baku, co-organized by IIASA, the BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre, the Center for Applied Research TALAP, and the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Earlier this month, the institute welcomed a delegation from the China Population and Development Research Center (CPDRC), a leading population research institution in China. Researchers from the IIASA Population and Just Societies Program (POPJUS) and CPDRC discussed declining fertility rates in China and future cooperation.

With 2024 on track to be declared the hottest on record, scientists from IIASA and Columbia University have noticed that specific regions are consistently more affected by extreme temperatures. A new study provides the first worldwide map of these regional climate danger zones.

COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, came to an end after a bitter fight. Wealthy nations pledged to triple support to reach 300 billion Dollars per year by 2035. Developing countries said they needed 1.3 trillion Dollars. IIASA researchers also estimate the needs to reach trillions, not billions. Hence, a disappointing outcome, overshadowed by geopolitical tensions, according to IIASA’s experts. 

IIASA Director General, Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, was among the distinguished guests at an event hosted by King Charles III to celebrate the launch of the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA). Amid the serious discussions around the the initiative's mission to champion a nature-first economy, the two old friends shared a lighter moment, promising to stay in touch.

Digital sector incumbents have established themselves in the artificial intelligence (AI) space through new forms of commercial partnerships. Now, antitrust authorities are raising concerns about such arrangements and the impact this will have on the future direction of AI. To discuss the latest developments, Elena Rovenskaya delivered a presentation on the adoption of systems analysis approaches to identify complex interactions between players in the digital economy.

IIASA researcher Kai Kornhuber will be honored with the Outstanding Early Career Scientist Award in the Climate: Past, Present & Future Division for his achievements in advancing climate science.