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Cities are expected to track sustainability progress with data that are often incomplete, outdated, or available only at national level. New research led by IIASA in collaboration with UN-Habitat finds that citizen science could address these gaps and support nearly 70% of global sustainability indicators, yet is currently used in only 4% of cases.

In a commentary published by Süddeutsche Zeitung (South German Newspaper), columnist Heribert Prantl reflects on the renewed importance of science diplomacy amid growing geopolitical tensions, highlighting IIASA as a notable exception to the current global trend of disengagement.

China’s rising demand for cooling doesn’t have to drive rising temperatures. A new study shows how rapid shifts to cleaner refrigerants and high-efficiency technologies could cut cooling-related climate impacts to near zero by mid-century.

A new study by IIASA researchers offers a pioneering way to understand how climate change affects people’s lives over the long term. Using a global model and the Years of Good Life (YoGL) metric, the research shows that today’s emissions shape future wellbeing, especially for younger generations.

Researchers from the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program are involved in the recently launched EU-funded Trees4Adapt project. The project focuses on tree-based solutions for climate adaptation, aiming to strengthen Europe’s adaptation and resilience to climate change in a way that supports people and nature.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder and one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases worldwide. On average, one in ten adults is affected. The number of people living with diabetes continues to rise, posing an increasing challenge for healthcare systems and entire economies. A new study reveals the global and national economic costs of diabetes and offers strategies to reduce them.

A commentary coauthored by IIASA experts and senior representatives from the UN and the international statistics community discusses the implications of recent changes to the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program and highlights the importance of integrating citizen science more fully into official data systems

New research shows rising hydrogen emissions since 1990 have indirectly intensified climate change and amplified the impact of methane.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As the world marks UN World Cities Day on 31 October – a call to make cities more sustainable – a new international study warns that the global construction sector’s carbon footprint is on track to double by 2050, threatening to derail efforts to meet the Paris Agreement climate targets.

Rising seas are irreversible on human time scales and among the most severe consequences of climate change. Emissions released in the coming decades will determine how much coastlines are reshaped for centuries to come. New research shows that near-term mitigation could spare future generations around 0.6 meters of sea-level rise that would be caused by emissions between 2020 and 2090 following current policies, making today’s decisions critical not only for limiting warming but also for coastal impacts.

MUT Magazin features IIASA Director-General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber in an in-depth interview on climate-resilient cities and the urgent need to transform the built environment. He outlines how natural materials and sustainable design can help repair the atmosphere and protect future generations.