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The EDITS-ARTS Competition called for submissions to imagine "life in 2050 with much less energy" into art, challenging positive-minded people to imagine a low energy future.

A new commentary, published by members of the Energy Demand Changes Induced by Technological and Social Innovations (EDITS) network, coordinated by IIASA, highlights that switching the focus from how energy is supplied to how energy is consumed can be a more effective approach to reducing carbon emissions with the added benefit of improving wellbeing for all.

As opportunities for foreign investments and international linkages for Central Asia grows, it provides a great window of opportunity for Kazakhstan to scope new means to revive its unused lands. In November, the Advancing Systems Analysis (ASA) program showcased its preliminary findings on scaling carbon farming prospects in Kazakhstan in the capital city of Astana.

The need to reduce global emissions by shifting away from fossil fuels is evident in the concluding agreements of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC. But what about addressing current atmospheric emissions? Central Asia, with its diverse nations and ecosystems, offers a distinctive platform for mitigating existing emissions through carbon farming practices and nature-based solutions.

On 23 June 2025, IIASA will launch the global citizen science “Tree-Quest” campaign at the Living Planet Symposium in Vienna, inviting people from all over the world to take part using the free Geo-Quest app. As part of the Citizens for Copernicus project, IIASA researchers will also lead hands-on workshops with schoolchildren at the symposium, teaching them how to use the app and collect ground data that will help scientists map the carbon stored in trees with satellite data more accurately.

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.

No less than nine IIASA researchers have made it onto the Reuters Hot List – the media giant’s ranking of the world’s most influential climate scientists – with IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program Director, Keywan Riahi, claiming the top spot.

A new study by IIASA researchers shows that a more rigorous and widespread application of already tested demand-side policies could get us halfway toward achieving net-zero emissions in residential heating and cooling.

A perspective piece published in Nature Climate Change describes innovative strategies that significantly reduce both resource consumption and fossil fuel emissions.

Solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges need not focus on one outcome but synergize benefits across to achieve multiple benefits. Tackling multiple problems using the same interventions can not only be cost-effective but can also help to align short-term benefits with longer-term transformations. However, synergistic solutions require a wholistic understanding of the context and environment. At Advancing Systems Analysis (ASA), each project strives toward integrating a systems approach which help to derive synergistic benefits.

IIASA researchers have coauthored a new report published by The Nature Conservancy that maps converging climate risks to food, water, and biodiversity, and provides a practical framework to scale nature-based solutions that strengthen resilience for people and nature.

The 2024 State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report finds that around 7–9 billion tonnes of CO₂ per year will need to be removed by mid-century from the atmosphere if the world is to meet the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target. The authors stress that reducing emissions is the primary way to achieve net-zero, but Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) has a critical role to play.

Countries across the globe have been struggling to deal with the impact of COVID-19 and the accompanying economic slowdown. As economies “build back better”, it may be an opportune time to introduce carbon pricing to tackle climate change while generating socioeconomic benefits, according to new interdisciplinary policy research by philosophers and economists.