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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.

IIASA Researcher Susanne Hanger-Kopp was invited to present results from the WaterStressAT project in Illmitz-Seewinkel, Austria.

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.

CHILLED is a global scope, spatially explicit and physically based model for estimation of building space heating and cooling requirements. It combines high resolution climate data, building physics representation and socioeconomic and behavioural data. CHILLED is used for estimating long term growth in demand for space conditioning (heating & cooling), the associated energy demands and carbon emissions, and the population lacking cooling access (cooling gap).

A warming climate brings both higher average and peak temperatures – putting stress on humans, animals, crops, and infrastructure systems, including energy supply and demand. But how will people and institutions cope with warmer temperatures, what is our capacity to adapt to changing conditions and what are the subsequent implications of our adaptation choices?

It is our honor to announce that Nebojsa (Naki) Nakicenovic has been awarded the title of IIASA Distinguished Emeritus Research Scholar. This prestigious honor marks a momentous occasion as he celebrates his 50th anniversary at IIASA at the same time.

Scorching temperatures have put millions of Americans in danger this summer, with heat extremes stretching from coast to coast in the Southern US. IIASA researcher Giacomo Falcetta and colleagues from Boston University looked into this issue in an article recently published on The Conversation.

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.

Digital platforms have long understood themselves as ecosystems and adopted an ecosystem mindset toward growth, competition, and governance. The ecosystem approach has helped the digital platform business model become one of the most successful in the last three decades and proliferate beyond the bounds of regulatory jurisdictions. This bodes the question: is regulation still in a mechanistic trap?

Europe still faces numerous challenges in reducing air pollution. A new study by an international team of researchers identified the reduction of ammonia emissions as a cost-effective measure to reduce concentrations of fine particulate matter in the atmosphere.

The 73-year-old climate expert will head the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg (Lower Austria) from 1 December 2023. He replaces South African Albert van Jaarsveld as Head of IIASA.

It is our pleasure to announce the appointment of John Schellnhuber as the new IIASA Director General effective from 1 December 2023.