Article: News
31 January 2022
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).
Article: News
24 January 2022
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.
Article: News
20 January 2022
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.
Article: News
17 January 2022
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.
Article: News
10 January 2022
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.
Article: News
17 December 2021
The digital transformations of the 21st 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.
Article: News
13 December 2021
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.
Article: News
13 December 2021
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.
Article: News
03 December 2021
We need more basic sciences to achieve Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is the message sent to the world by the United Nations General Assembly on 2 December 2021 when Member States approved the resolution promulgating 2022 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD2022).
Article: News
30 November 2021
Climate change disproportionately affects the world’s most vulnerable populations. Not only are these effects compounding and magnifying existing inequalities, but the impacts will increase in severity over time, affecting both current and future generations. A new international study shows that the redistribution of revenues from a carbon tax can promote equity and protect marginalized populations.
Article: News
29 November 2021
Allowing global temperatures to rise beyond maximum thresholds and then trying to bring them back down again through mitigation strategies is risky. A new study by an international team of researchers explored the physical and macroeconomic impacts associated with mitigation pathways with different levels of temperature overshoot.
Article: News
25 November 2021
Monitoring progress on our way to successfully achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is key to their achievement, but there are significant data gaps that make this crucial exercise difficult. A new IIASA-led study explored the use of a citizen science tool known as Picture Pile to see how it could contribute to SDG monitoring.