The expansion of farmlands to meet the growing food demand of the world’s ever expanding population places a heavy burden on natural ecosystems. A new IIASA study however shows that about half the land currently needed to grow food crops could be spared if attainable crop yields were achieved globally and crops were grown where they are most productive.
Monsoon rainfall has become more unpredictable in India. Floods and droughts have become more common and pose multiple risks to human health and wellbeing, with children under five being particularly vulnerable. New research finds that more assistance needs to be provided to communities in flood-prone areas to protect children under five from undernutrition.
What are the most effective ways to achieve desired sustainable development outcomes across all aspects of wellbeing, and how might the pursuit of some of these goals affect progress toward others? A new study by an international team of researchers aims to address these questions to help understand possible synergies and tradeoffs among these goals.
IIASA’s RISK and Resilience Program researchers, as part of the Flood Resilience Alliance, collaborated with various partners across development, research and private sectors in a virtual learning event. The annual event took a step in the virtual direction this year due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. IIASA Alliance members pointed out that 'learning and interpersonal connections can take place successfully remotely and that even a multiple-day event can take place online'.
As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the globe, it is fast becoming clear that no one is exempt from its disruptive effects. IIASA researchers are working to visualize key demographic and socioeconomic information to help inform decisions by health professionals, governments, and policymakers to address the crisis.
China’s fast economic growth and accompanying rise in food demand is driving an increase in water use for agriculture and industry, thus threatening the country’s water security. The findings of a new study underscore the value and potential of technological adoptions to help design targets and incentives for water scarcity mitigation measures.
World Water Day held annually on 22 March, celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis.
IIASA is involved in several regional and global activities and initiatives focused on how to raise awareness and find solutions that will ensure sustainable water futures.
Tropical forest ecosystems are an important part of the global carbon cycle as they take up and store large amounts of CO2. It is however uncertain how much these forests’ ability to take up and store carbon differ between forests with high versus low species richness. New IIASA research sheds light on this question aiming to enhance our ability to predict tropical ecosystems’ strength as global carbon sinks.
In light of a global health crisis unlike any other in our lifetime, the co-organizers of the Vienna Energy Forum (VEF) – the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, the Austrian Development Agency, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis – have decided to postpone the Vienna Energy Forum to 2021. The new dates will be announced soon.
Many people dream of comfortably living out their golden years. A new IIASA study however shows that older Europeans, and especially women, frequently underestimate how many years they have left, which could lead to costly decisions related to planning for their remaining life course.