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In a new commentary, two deeply rooted assumptions in global demographic debates are challenged: that fertility will rebound as societies develop, and that “replacement-level fertility” is an ideal to be pursued. Drawing on the latest evidence, the authors show that neither view is supported by available data and argue that persistently low fertility can be sustainable and even economically desirable.

IIASA recently welcomed Austrian Federal Minister of Education, Science, and Research, Eva-Maria Holzleitner to Schloss Laxenburg for a high-level exchange on science diplomacy, international cooperation, and future collaboration opportunities.

  

Researchers from the Cooperation and Transformative Governance group and partner institutions presented new findings at the EGU General Assembly 2025 exploring how expertise and language complexity influence climate communication on social media.

14 Student Fellowships awarded to students studying at East African Universities.

IIASA welcomed H.E. Ambassador Nikolaus Marschik, Secretary General of the Austrian Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs (BMEIA), for a high-level visit to Schloss Laxenburg on Friday, 20 February 2026.

JoAnne Linnerooth-Bayer moderated the Festival’s second plenary panel on private initiatives for financing nature, guiding a discussion on how the private sector can help close the global financing gap for biodiversity and nature-based solutions.

IIASA contributed to a new European roadmap for biodiversity monitoring through its involvement in the Horizon 2020 project, EuropaBON. The study, proposes a comprehensive roadmap to build a modern, integrated Biodiversity Observation Network (BON) for Europe that could become a global model for biodiversity monitoring in the 21^st century.

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.

How do people respond when the impacts of climate change hit close to home? A new study by IIASA and CMCC from the EU-funded project Adaptation AGORA (A Gathering place to cO-design and co-cReate Adaptation) reveals a striking paradox: while citizens in Catalonia show deep skepticism toward climate adaptation policies, they also demonstrate a “strong willingness to take action themselves”.

A new IIASA-led study examines growing critiques of how global climate mitigation scenarios address equity and justice and identifies key conditions for fair, feasible, and politically credible climate action.

Multiple Earth system components appear closer to destabilization than previously believed, putting the planet at increased risk of a “hothouse” trajectory driven by feedback loops that can amplify the consequences of global warming, according to new research.

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) convened the virtual workshop “Prospects of Carbon Farming in Greater Central Asia” to examine pathways for implementing carbon farming across the region. The event brought together scientists, policymakers, and practitioners to exchange evidence, share experience, and discuss pragmatic approaches to advancing carbon farming and related land-based climate solutions.

A new study sheds light on how farmer-led collaboration can help create the conditions to address biodiversity loss in agricultural landscapes. The research looks at “farmer clusters” – groups of farmers working together across landscapes to support biodiversity-sensitive farming – and explores how these collaborative initiatives evolve over time, what shapes their success, and why some mature more effectively than others.

Climate change research continued to feature prominently in news and social media feeds throughout 2025. IIASA researchers contributed to seven out of the 25 most mentioned papers in news and social media feeds; one is even the most featured paper ranking at #1 - congratulations to all the authors! 

End of January saw the launch of the new EU-funded ATMOPOLIS project, an innovative study that integrates environmental and social sciences to understand how air and noise pollution exposure affect citizens across European cities and propose actions to help improve their quality of life. IIASA researchers are leading a work package to develop an integrated decision support tool for cities.

In January, IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber visited Israel as part of an effort to deepen scientific cooperation and advance discussions on Israel’s continued membership in IIASA. The visit highlighted the growing role of science diplomacy in connecting research, policy, and international collaboration to support evidence-based decision-making and long-term sustainability.

INQUIMUS 2025 organized by the Equity and Justice (EQU) Research Group was successfully held at IIASA in December 2025. The interactive three-day conference brought together around 50 participants from a wide range of disciplines, all sharing a commitment to making justice dimensions more explicit in transformative climate risk management and adaptation research and practice.

In an interview with the publication, Klimareporter°, IIASA Director-General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber reflects on the accelerating climate crisis and the search for solutions in a world approaching ecological overshoot.

In a feature published by German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau, IIASA Director-General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber warns of growing currents that undermine scientific evidence and international cooperation – trends he says, that risk dragging societies back toward myth and superstition.