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In an interview published by Der Tagesspiegel (The Berlin Daily), IIASA Director-General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber discusses the climate potential of wood construction at a conference on bio-based building in Potsdam.

European governments worried about population decline often focus on policies to encourage people to have more children. However, a new study reveals that this popular strategy is often less effective and more ethically problematic than a simpler, immediate alternative: large-scale investment in public health to reduce preventable deaths.

A new study visualizes three decades of income inequality data, the most comprehensive worldwide mapping to be done at a subnational level. The results confirm worsening income inequality for areas with over 3.6 billion inhabitants but also reveals hidden ‘bright spots’ where policy may be closing the gap.

The International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum (IVECF 2026), to be convened on 9-10 April 2026 at Vienna’s Hofburg Palace, comes at a pivotal moment. As the world races to deliver on sustainable development, energy, and climate goals, growing concerns over international security and stability emphasize the urgent need for inclusive and integrated solutions as well as the need to provide climate justice.

A productive meeting between H.E. Ambassador Haytham Shoja’aadin of Yemen and IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber set the stage for deeper collaboration on water security and regional cooperation. The exchange offered new momentum for science-based dialogue between IIASA and Yemen at a pivotal time for the MENA region.

On 3 December 2025, H.E. Ambassador Giovanni Pugliese and Scientific Counselor Amedeo Staiano of the Italian Embassy in Austria visited IIASA for discussions on strengthening scientific engagement between Italy and the Institute.

On 1 December 2025, IIASA welcomed H.E. Ian Biggs, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia, to the Institute for discussions on strengthening scientific cooperation between Australia and IIASA.

IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program Director, Keywan Riahi, has been reappointed to the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change for a second term from 2026 to 2030.

Two recent visits by senior representatives of Peking University (PKU) to IIASA have reaffirmed and expanded the long-standing partnership between the institutions, highlighting new opportunities for joint research, academic training, and policy-relevant collaboration in environment, population, and systems sciences.

In late November, IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber visited Argentina to take part in a high-level event on urban sustainability. The visit included participation in a two-day event on climate, cities, and sustainable construction, held at the German Embassy in Buenos Aires and the University of Buenos Aires, bringing together scientific, political, and municipal actors to discuss the transformation of the construction sector and its role in climate action.

In its post-COP30 analysis, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung features insights from IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber and other experts, arguing that the conference outcome shows how the world may now need to look beyond the 1.5°C limit.

More than you might think. A badly chosen holiday destination can leave everyone frustrated, just as poorly designed disaster plans can leave communities devastated; although the consequences are not comparable, the decision-making processes have similar characteristics. The MEDiate project is building a novel Decision Support System (DSS) – a digital toolbox which helps policy-makers test strategies before disaster strikes. IIASA is not only helping to design models and frameworks behind this system, but also ensuring that every stakeholder participates in the discussion. Even the best technical solution won’t work if there is nobody supports it.

Researchers from IIASA and partner institutions in the EU funded PARATUS project introduce a new generation of modeling tools that help not only better understand but also reduce systemic risk and vulnerability to multiple, possibly cascading, natural and man-made hazards. Instead of relying on traditional independent hazards’ analysis and static risk mapping, the IIASA PARATUS team from CAT-ASA group develops novel dynamic modeling approaches enabling to analyze and project how hazards’ patterns and vulnerability dimensions can evolve over time as functions of vulnerability drivers—and how risk-informed policy choices regarding the drivers can reduce risks and vulnerability of all kinds.

Although many policymakers might still not realize it, disasters like floods, hurricanes, or earthquakes are not isolated events. Their impacts can spread much wider, disrupting power supply, cutting off roads, or even worse – delaying logistics and your next Amazon delivery by weeks. The latest deliverable in the PARATUS Project sets out to build a clear methodology for assessing systemic risks across the case studies chosen earlier in this project.

At the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2025), IIASA researchers highlighted the critical role of cultural context in combating climate change disinformation. Presenting the Adaptation AGORA project, they showcased a suite of innovative digital tools, including a mobile app and a dedicated Disinformation Academy, designed to empower citizens and build climate resilience through inclusive, participatory governance. The project moves beyond top-down approaches to co-create adaptation strategies that are both scientifically robust and socially legitimate.

A recent Financial Times special report on climate-related research funding features IIASA Director-General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber in his role as a past Blue Planet Prize laureate. The article highlights the urgent need to better connect scientific evidence, policy action, and public communication to drive meaningful climate solutions.

Several IIASA researchers were among the nearly 60,000 participants at COP30 in Belém, a diverse gathering of global leaders, industry, youth, and non-state actors. This year also saw record participation from Indigenous people, with more than 3,000 representatives highlighting their crucial role as guardians of biodiversity.

Fast and decisive mitigation of methane emissions remains one of the few options the world still has to limit global warming in the next few decades. Today, mid-way through COP30, high-level representatives at the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) Ministerial released the Global Methane Status Report 2025, a comprehensive assessment of global progress and remaining gaps in efforts to cut methane. The report’s findings are underpinned by analyses conducted by IIASA researchers.

In a recent Tagesspiegel feature exploring the meaning of “I don’t have another land,” IIASA Director-General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber offers a powerful reminder that humanity also has no “second planet.” His contribution links historical memory with the urgent global challenge of protecting Earth’s life-support systems.

Against the backdrop of negotiations at COP30 in Belém, a group of leading climate scientists has released the Búzios Scientific Statement, offering a clear assessment of the world’s remaining options to return to 1.5°C of warming by the end of the century. The statement reflects growing recognition that a temporary overshoot of 1.5°C is now unavoidable, while also showing that pathways back to safer temperature levels remain open if action accelerates quickly.