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IIASA is excited to announce that Migration and Sustainable Development Research Group Leader, Roman Hoffmann, has been awarded a prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant for a new project to investigate the complex interactions between climate change and human mobility.

IIASA is a longstanding member of the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance, which will now be known as the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance to address a broader range of climate hazards including floods, heatwaves, and wildfires, and work towards systemic change. This shift reflects the growing urgency to enhance climate resilience in communities around the world as climate-induced disasters become more frequent and severe.

An IIASA-led paper published with collaborators and stakeholders from the Ghana Statistical Service, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), SDSN TReNDS, and other partners has received the Outstanding Article Award in the journal Sustainability Science’s Best Paper Awards for 2023.

In recent decades, fertility rates in high-income countries have steadily declined. A new study analyzed demographic trends, patterns, determinants, and consequences. The authors emphasize that despite the significant economic challenges posed by low fertility, a strategic and consistent policy response can effectively mitigate most adverse consequences. 

IIASA researchers contributed to a new study showing that efforts to meet restoration targets for the globally important, biodiversity rich forests found along Brazil’s Atlantic coast will only be effective with a sustainable intensification of cattle farming.

To address the needs of the agricultural monitoring community, IIASA scientists fused two of the latest high quality, high-resolution, remotely-sensed cropland products to produce an improved cropland map for early warning and food security assessments.

Food and energy production have caused substantial nitrogen pollution, harming air and water quality and posing risks to the climate and ecosystems. A new study shows how nitrogen interventions can reduce pollution, improving health, and supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Focusing on Sweden, a new IIASA study assessed the feasibility of recovering phosphorus from municipal wastewater as an alternative sustainable source of this non-renewable mineral.

IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber spoke to Falter's Katharina Kropshofer about why tipping elements in the Earth system are so difficult to predict.

Despite advancements in clean energy, global CO₂ emissions continue to rise. IIASA researchers contributed to a new international study that underscores the importance of integrating technological advancements with robust institutional capacities to formulate effective climate policies.

The RESIST project has made significant progress through active collaboration with IIASA's National Member Organizations (NMO). Key recent achievements include setting up collaborations with national researcher partners and consulting with local experts and stakeholders in respective case study regions (listed below).

Current climate policies imply a high risk for tipping of critical Earth system elements, even if temperatures return to below 1.5°C of global warming after a period of overshoot. A new study indicates that these risks can be minimized if warming is swiftly reversed.

To mitigate the climate crisis, we must tackle methane emissions now. In a new article published in Frontiers in Science, an international team of researchers set out three imperatives to cut methane emissions and shared a new tool to help find the most cost-effective ways of doing so.

A new IIASA study addresses the urgent challenges in managing the water-energy-land nexus in the Zambezi River Basin, which is crucial for southern Africa’s economic stability and environmental health. The authors suggest strategies for economic development that protect environmental resources and adapt to climate and socioeconomic changes.  

As environmental, technological, and societal change join forces to disrupt human and planetary health, the world must get better at tracking and responding to a host of emerging challenges, according to a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Science Council (ISC).

Under the leadership of the Equity and Justice Research Group of the IIASA Population and Just Societies Program, researchers from across the Institute have spent the past three years working towards the first iteration of the IIASA Justice Framework – a descriptive guideline for science and policy. The framework is now available on the IIASA website and as an IIASA working paper.

IIASA researchers contributed to a project of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), working in partnership with scientists from other renowned institutions, to help the government of Indonesia advance actionable agrifood systems policies based on rigorous scientific assessment.

On 22 July, 2024, a high-level delegation from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), led by Professor Tran Tuan Anh, visited IIASA to meet with Director General John Schellnhuber and IIASA researchers to discuss ongoing research projects and opportunities.

A new IIASA-led study offers the first detailed estimates of land use change emissions for six sustainable aviation fuel production pathways. The authors focused on both food and non-food raw materials used to produce biofuels, using trusted global data sources to provide fine-scale emissions data.

Despite facing regional threats like deforestation and wildfires, the world's forests continue to be a powerful weapon in the fight against climate change. A new study reveals these vital ecosystems have consistently absorbed carbon dioxide for the past three decades, even as disruptions chip away at their capacity.