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Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks. People and ecosystems least able to cope are being hardest hit, according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, released today.

Anne Goujon, an expert in demography and education, has been appointed to lead the IIASA Population and Just Societies (POPJUS) Program.  

China has promised to become carbon neutral before 2060 and has coupled this ambitious target with stringent limitations on industrial water use by 2030. An international team of IIASA researchers and Chinese colleagues explored the effects of simultaneously pursuing these goals.

The Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, OeAW, University of Vienna) will start Master's Programme "Global Demography" at the University of Vienna with its second cohort of students in October 2022.

What role do experiences with climate change and extreme events play in shaping environmental attitudes and to what extent can they explain the recent rise in environmental concerns and willingness to vote for Green parties across Europe? IIASA researchers set out to investigate these and related issues in a new study just published in Nature Climate Change.

Area-based conservation targets aimed at stopping and reversing global biodiversity loss are set to form an integral part of the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework discussions later this year. An international team of researchers have however found that strictly protecting global land area for conservation could have an adverse impact on human health and food security in some parts of the world.

The world is not on track to achieve all the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, and more insight into how we can get back on track is urgently needed. An article by an international team of scientists proposes a more limited set of more easily measurable targets that can be used in scenario analysis for achieving all of the SDGs by the target date.

The carbon stock in managed boreal forest landscapes is increasing, while it is relatively unchanged in less intensively utilized forests where carbon losses due to forest fires have instead been significant during 1990-2017, according to a new report by the International Boreal Forest Research Association (IBFRA).

Four exceptional young scientists from the 2021 Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) have been recognized as YSSP award finalists. Two will receive funding to continue their research projects at IIASA and two candidates have been given Honorable Mentions for outstanding effort.

Halting, then reversing the ongoing loss of Earth’s plant and animal diversity requires far more than an expanded global system of protected areas of land and seas, scientists warn. What is needed, is successful, coordinated action across a diverse, interconnected set of transformative changes, including massive reductions in harmful agricultural and fishing subsidies, deep reductions in overconsumption, and holding climate change to 1.5°C.

We are proud to announce that IIASA researcher Kian Mintz-Woo has been awarded the 2021 Andrew Light Award for Public Philosophy by the International Society for Environmental Ethics.

After more than 40 years of collaboration, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and IIASA have established a formal partnership on a variety of policy-relevant projects related to energy, climate, air quality, and more.

2022 marks 50 years since IIASA was founded to promote East-West scientific cooperation during the Cold War. Today, the institute continues to address the global challenges of the 21st century through its research. The 50th anniversary provides an opportunity to both take stock of the institute’s achievements and to look forward.

IIASA supports the provincial government of Styria in co-creating together with a representative sample of the Styrian population courageous and positive visions for a low-carbon and climate resilient future.

A study found that older Europeans are more likely to stick to pandemic rules if they think they are unhealthier than they actually are.

The increasing amounts of municipal solid waste and ineffective waste management systems threaten the environment and contribute to climate warming, yet the waste sector is often neglected in discussions about climate change and air pollution. A new IIASA-led study shows, for the first time, how circular waste management systems can help to effectively curb emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants.

In collaboration with the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology and the Institute of National Planning, IIASA is proud to announce the launch of the North Africa Applied Systems Analysis Center (NAASAC).

The digital transformations of the 21^st century have led to a remarkable expansion of the platform-based economy. However, as our world shrinks virtually through advancements in communication technology, the Internet of Things (IoT), and digital consumerism, digital platforms are increasing their grip on the value generated in the platform economy and raising barriers for competition in their sector. Anti-monopoly authorities are facing the imminent challenge of reviving competition; however, their current policy toolkit cannot grasp the intricacies of a highly interconnected platform economy.

How effective is the promotion of low-meat diets at reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to carbon pricing when the effectiveness of mitigation policies is measured against methane’s long-term behavior? An international team of researchers explored how focusing either on the short- or long-term warming effects of methane can affect climate mitigation policies and dietary transitions in agriculture.

Access to electricity and modern cooking fuels, especially for women in the Global South, leads to time savings in the home, improved health, and better access to information, which in turn increase the wellbeing of women and allow them to make informed reproductive choices, according to a new study just published in Nature Sustainability.