Thomas Schinko
Research Group Leader and Principal Research Scholar
Equity and Justice Research Group
Population and Just Societies Program
Biography
Thomas Schinko is Principal Research Scholar and Research Group Leader of the Equity and Justice (EQU) Research Group in the IIASA Population and Just Societies Program. He is a regular lecturer at the University of Graz and the Joint Vienna Institute.His main research interests at IIASA are in the areas of comprehensive climate risk management and just transitions. He focuses on the assessment of socioeconomic impacts of climate-related risks and their distributional effects, the identification of just and inclusive climate risk management strategies, the understanding of risks and risk perceptions connected with climate change mitigation and adaptation options, and the ethical and politico-economic aspects in the context of a just transition towards a sustainable future.
His areas of expertise include quantitative economic modeling as well as qualitative social science methods with a particular focus on mixed-methods approaches involving participatory processes. He studied economics and environmental system sciences at the University of Graz, Austria, and Uppsala University, Sweden.
Last update: 24 APR 2026
Publications
Mora, C.J., Malik, A., Alexander, L.V., Stuart-Smith, R.F., King, A.D., Perkins-Kirkpatrick, S., & Schinko, T. (2025). Attributing global impacts of local extremes to climate change for improving loss and damage estimates. Environmental Research Letters 20 (3) e031009. 10.1088/1748-9326/adb9fe.
Dong, X., Fresolone-Caparrós, A. , Schinko, T. , Thaler, T. , Kienberger, S., Mainetti, L., Spiekermann, R., Altmann, M.O., Heller, H., Deubelli-Hwang, T., Leitner, M., & Offenzeller, M. (2025). Handbuch für die Ko-Kreation eines Klimarisikoservice in Österreich. IIASA , Laxenburg, Austria. 10.5281/zenodo.14869739.
SDG7 Technical Advisory Group (2025). Maximising the Benefits of Energy Action for Good Health, Gender Equality and Decent Work to Leave No one Behind: SDG7 Policy Briefs in Support of the High-Level Political Forum. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) , New York, USA.
APCC (2025). Second Austrian Assessment Report on Climate Change (AAR2). Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press. ISBN 978-3-7001-5110-4 10.1553/aar2.
Handmer, J. , Monson, R., & Schinko, T. (2024). Addressing the diversity of Loss and damage in Pacific Island countries to foster a just transition towards a climate-resilient future. Climate and Development 1-13. 10.1080/17565529.2024.2437133. (Submitted)