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IIASA researchers Teresa Deubelli-Hwang and Jung Hee Hyun share insights from a decade of collaborating on fostering flood resilience in communities around the world following a recent Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance learning event.  

Due to limited availability and strong interest in the Tipping Points Modelling Intercomparison Project (TIPMIP) “Towards TIPMIP” WE Heraeus Foundation seminar in November, we are pleased to announce an additional community-wide, online-only event: TIPMIP for All, to be held on 9 October 2023 from 16:00-18:00 CET.

Join us for this webinar series that aims to advance the knowledge about tipping elements, irreversibility, and abrupt changes in the Earth system. This installment will focus on ecological tipping points and resilience.

On 18 September 2023, IIASA will host a meeting of its National Member Organizations (NMOs) and Regional Member Organization (RMO) Secretaries. This gathering will unite representatives from diverse countries to discuss and strengthen their partnerships with IIASA.

Boreal forests often bring to mind a winter wonderland: spruce and pine forests as far as the eye can see, fluffy snow dotted with reindeer beneath a nighttime sky brightened by the aurora borealis. Climate change threatens this fragile, pristine habitat that spans 8 countries in the far north. Now boreal forests are associated not just with snowy landscapes, they are becoming synonymous with raging wildfires and massive plumes of smoke, such as those found currently in Canada. Mitigating the threats posed by climate change in this unique ecosystem and discussing the most recent boreal-related research is the focus of the International Boreal Forest Association conference. Organized in large part by IIASA’s own Florian Kraxner, IBFRA 2023 was held in Helsinki, Finland, where researchers from around the globe gathered to discuss recent findings, foster new connections, and contribute to a plan of attack to save boreal forests as we know them.

Johanna San Pedro is the latest addition to the Agriculture, Forestry, and Ecosystem Services Research Group at IIASA. We wanted to take this opportunity to share her journey before IIASA, her passions, and what makes her a unique addition to the FLAM team.

IIASA is co-convening a session during the ninth Science Summit around the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) that will take place on 12-29 September 2023, focusing on "Developing Equitable Partnerships for Open Science and Innovation in the era of AI".  In addition, IIASA research scholar Dilek Fraisl will participate as a speaker in another session, titled “Citizen Science for Digital Health and AI Research”.

Every summer, IIASA turns into a buzzing hub of knowledge seekers, and this year is no different! The AFE FLAM team welcomed three interns and three YSSP fellows this summer and we took a moment to chat with Rasheed, Adrian, Laura, and Lawrence about their experiences and goals.

IIASA voices webinar with IIASA researchers Katya Perez Guzman, Samir K.C., and Sylvia Tramberend is now online. Moderated by IIASA Capacity Development and Academic Training Unit Dean, Fabian Wagner, this episode explores the work of researchers in building capacity in systems analysis around the world. 

IIASA Director General, Albert van Jaarsveld, visited New Delhi from 27 to 29 July 2023. This trip marked a momentous opportunity for IIASA to strengthen its ties with India and global partners, as well as contribute to the advancement of the Green and Sustainable Growth Agenda for the Global Economy.

In the framework of the IIASA 50^th Anniversary, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and IIASA are co-hosting a hybrid event to celebrate 20 years of China’s participation in IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) on 6-7 September 2023 (Beijing, China and online).

Mai Awad reflects on her participation in the North Africa Applied Systems Analysis Center (NAASAC) Applied Systems Analysis Diploma and how this has transformed her mindset around how systems thinking can empower decision makers to tackle complex global challenges and design impactful policy solutions for a better tomorrow.

Under the title, What we want, a double bill of eco-theater* explores the potentially existential threat to human existence through the metaphors of breathing and eating while seeking a way forward. Both works, Breath and Piece of Cake, strive to counter-narratives of futility by centering stories of resilience, innovation, and interconnection. The performance will include and encourage discussions with the audience throughout the evening.

2023 IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program participant, Jalal Awan, explains how reframing artificial intelligence as a common good co-created by global users and stakeholders could help harness its transformative power for the benefit of all.  

IIASA researchers Juliana Arbelaez-Gaviria and Eleanor Warren-Thomas have coauthored a new policy brief published with the Colombia team of the Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land, and Energy (FABLE) Consortium, an initiative under the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) and part of the UN Sustainable Development and Solutions Network (UNSDSN). The brief outlines how deforestation and ecological restoration in Colombia may impact carbon, biodiversity, and agricultural production by 2030.

Watch the recording. This is the ninth installment of the IIASA Voices public webinar series with IIASA researchers Leila Niamir, Joeri Rogelj, and Shonali Pachauri. The session was moderated by Edward Byers.

Registrations are open for the newly established International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum, which will take place for the first time on 2 and 3 November 2023 at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. It will bring together high-level representatives from member states, international organizations, business, and science including youth representatives and more than 1,000 international experts to discuss best practices and present solutions to tackle climate change and achieve a green energy transition.

IIASA research informed the recently announced Final Renewable Fuels Standards Rule by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding biofuel volume requirements and percentage standards for 2023–2025. The rule establishes biofuel volume requirements and associated percentage standards in view of steady growth of biofuel use in the US's fuel supply and aims to ensure a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy future.

IIASA was honored to welcome a delegation from the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) led by GEIDCO Executive Vice Chairman Liu Zehong.

Influencing science policy and its outcomes continues to pose many challenges for scientists. In his recent half-day workshop at IIASA, acclaimed policy expert, incoming president of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and inaugural Peter de Jánosi Visiting Fellow at IIASA, Adil Najam, engaged participants of the 2023 IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) in a lively discussion and simulation on negotiating science policy.