According to the authors of a new study published in Nature, rising nitrous oxide emissions are putting reaching climate goals and the objectives of the Paris Agreement in jeopardy.
National governments have fallen well short of their conservation commitments under the global nature conservation treaty, the Convention on Biological Diversity. An international consortium of scientists has conducted a global review of area-based conservation efforts, including both protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures.
A new IIASA-led study shows that coordinated international action on energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling could avoid as much as 600 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions in this century.
IIASA Deputy Director General for Science Leena Srivastava will speak at the World Energy Week Live – Global Plenary virtual meeting addressing the critical drivers and challenges that need to be considered in managing global energy transition due to COVID-19 pandemic and how we can emerge faster from crisis as stronger, connected energy societies.
Nadejda Komendantova is invited to speak on "How can participatory governance methods and tools be applied for contested policy issues such as strategies of socio-economic development?" at the virtual meeting on Innovation Ecosystems. The meeting addresses benefits of existing decision-support systems and participatory modelling tools and discusses challenges for their implementation.
Nadejda Komendantova is invited to give a talk on "A Decision Tool for the Water-Energy Nexus in Jordan" at the 19th International Conference on Intelligent Software Methodologies, Tools and Techniques (SOMET 2020). The conference brings together researchers and practitioners to share their original research results and experience in scientific software development and related new technologies. It facilitates discussions about new trends in decision support systems, tools and methodologies.
Global energy consumption in 2050 could be reduced to the levels of the 1960s and still provide a decent standard of living for a population three times larger, according to a new study.
Charlotte Janssens and Petr Havlik write about their recent study in which they found that world trade can relieve regional impacts of climate change on food production and provide a way to reduce the risk of hunger.
IIASA and UNCCD Secretariat have strengthened their cooperation on facilitating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through signing a Memorandum of Understanding.
Air pollution is currently the largest environmental risk factor for human health globally and can be linked to several million cases of premature deaths every year. A new study however shows that it is possible to achieve clean air worldwide with fundamental transformations of today’s practices in many sectors, supported by strong political will.
A unique IIASA report on science and art shows how partnerships between artists and scientists can support transformations to a more sustainable future.
The mining of coal, metals, and other minerals causes loss of natural habitats across the entire globe. However, available data is insufficient to measure the extent of these impacts. IIASA alumnus Victor Maus and his colleagues mapped more than 57,000 km² of mining areas over the whole world using satellite images.
IIASA researchers have developed a novel measurement framework to track energy poverty that better aligns with the services people lack rather than capturing the mere absence of physical connections to a source of electricity. This alternative framework can aid better tracking of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 by virtue of its simplicity and sensitivity to the diversity in service conditions among the poor.
A new analysis of period life expectancy around the world shows that the COVID-19 pandemic could cause a short-term decline in life expectancy in many regions of the world.
IIASA researchers Michael Obersteiner, David Leclère, and Piero Visconti discuss the findings of their latest paper, which proposes pathways to reverse the current trend of biodiversity loss and shows that the next 30 years will be pivotal for the Earth’s wildlife.
Environmental hazards affect populations worldwide and can drive migration under specific conditions, especially in middle-income and agricultural countries. According to a new study, changes in temperature levels, increased rainfall variability, and rapid-onset disasters such as tropical storms play an important role in this regard.
‘Risk and Resilience’ Acting Program Director Reinhard Mechler presented research on transformational responses to climate change as undertaken through collaborative efforts of the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance.