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From 3rd to 4th December 2024, the SPARCCLE consortium hosted a workshop in Brussels, bringing together external stakeholders and EU policymakers, including representatives from CINEA, DG ENER, and DG HERA. This collaborative event provided a platform for feedback on EU adaptation and mitigation policy analysis. It also marked the beginning of SPARCCLE’s stress test co-development process, allowing participants to contribute valuable input toward the design of the SPARCCLE climate stress test scenarios.

On October 25th, 2024, EM Research Group leader Sebastian Poledna participated in an international workshop in South Korea to promote Agent-based Modelling (ABM) as a tool for economic projections. Dr. Poledna delivered a keynote speech on "Economic forecasting with an Agent-based Model". The event was attended by other organizations such as OECD, IITP and WIFO, as well as several Korean universities, to name a few, and was co-hosted and funded by the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI). The objective of the multidisciplinary convergence workshop was to explore innovative solutions in the digital age for data- and evidence-based national policy, using concepts and methods such as agent-based modeling, AI-driven approaches, and methods from complex systems science. 

The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, recently visited IIASA to discuss opportunities for future collaboration.

A new article emphasizes the need for “safe zones” for researchers amid escalating geopolitical tensions. It uses the history of IIASA – established as a neutral ground during the Cold War – as a prime example.

IIASA researcher Jan Steinhauser is currently working on a computer game that could help popularize climate science among younger audiences in a fun and engaging way. The game is called “Climate Survivors”, and instead of taking on demons and vampires, players help fight the climate crisis.

Renowned climate expert Hans Joachim Schellnhuber talks about climate policy, wind power, and what really scares him. 

IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, on politicians who deny climate change, the climate target and the target and the wildfires in California.

IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber in an interview with Joachim Laukenmann and Martin Läubli.

While electric vehicles have become a cornerstone of the global energy transition, a study by researchers from Princeton University and IIASA has demonstrated that refining the critical minerals needed for electric vehicle batteries could create pollution hotspots near manufacturing hubs.

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.