ECE’s overarching vision is to provide evidence-based, scientific roadmaps for feasible systems transformations that simultaneously meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ambitious climate change mitigation targets.
Emphasis is placed specifically on local policy decisions and actions required in the short term to put the world on track to achieve long-term targets while assuring human health, wellbeing, and the reduction of social inequalities in a socially and economically sustainable manner. The program’s systems analytical tools enable it to act as an objective scientific broker in support of sustainable transformational processes. ECE combines the research portfolios of the former Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases, Energy, and Transitions to New Technologies programs.
The ECE program is organized in four Research Groups which encompass different thematic areas of research:
ECE Research Groups
Integrated Assessment and Climate Change (IACC)
The IACC Group leads the development of tools for a new generation of “coupled” global transformation pathways that are able to represent bottom-up local constraints and opportunities at the national and sub-national scale, which is a major focus of the ECE Program.
Pollution Management (PM)
The PM Group focusses on solving immediate and near-term environmental (health and ecosystems impacts from pollution), climate (non-CO2 greenhouse gases), and social (widening inequality gaps) problems in a cost-effective way, providing support to policymaking at local and regional scales.
Sustainable Service Systems (S3)
The S3 Group focuses on demand-side systems as entry points for sustainable transformations. The group analyses demand for energy and materials through the lens of service provision of mobility, shelter, and consumer goods, as well as how lifestyle changes can contribute to consumption reduction.
Transformative Institutional and Social Solutions (TISS)
The TISS Group explores innovative solutions to environmental issues that integrate social, institutional, and governance drivers with technological and economic considerations, with an emphasis on improving conditions for the most deprived and marginalized in society.
Current ECE Research Themes
Models, tools, datasets
Projects
Staff
News
12 March 2024
Pioneering project investigating crisis effects on social systems wins FWF Emerging Fields Funding
29 February 2024
New SSP Extensions Explorer launched in open access
29 February 2024
Improving energy security with policies focused on demand-side solutions
Events
Focus
22 January 2024
Navigating the climate justice landscape
IIASA researchers Caroline Zimm and Kian Mintz-Woo explain the benefits of a recently developed operational framework that aims to bring clarity to the often implicit and varied justice considerations in climate mitigation scenarios, fostering a shared language and understanding to enhance decision-making processes in the intricate landscape of climate policy.
21 December 2023
High wellbeing with low energy demand towards modern net-zero cities
Following the International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum in November 2023, IIASA researcher Benigna Boza-Kiss reflects on the contribution from the IIASA EDITS project team to this conference, which brought together experts from various disciplines to discuss multi-faceted energy demand in cities like Vienna.
Publications
Oshiro, K. & Fujimori, S. (2024). Mid-century net-zero emissions pathways for Japan: Potential roles of global mitigation scenarios in informing national decarbonization strategies. Energy and Climate Change 5 e100128. 10.1016/j.egycc.2024.100128. de Assis Brasil Weber, N., Hunt, J. , Zakeri, B. , Smith Schneider, P., Asfor Parente, F.S., Delavald Marques, A., & Olímpio Pereira Junior, A. (2024). Seasonal pumped hydropower storage role in responding to climate change impacts on the Brazilian electrical sector. Journal of Energy Storage 87 e111249. 10.1016/j.est.2024.111249. Kim, E., Kim, B.-U., Kim, H.C., Liu, Y., Kang, Y.H., Jacob, D.J., Kim, Y.P., Woo, J.-H., Kim, J., Wang, S., Yoo, C., Bae, C., Kim, Y. , & Kim, S. (2024). North Korean CO emissions reconstruction using DMZ ground observations, TROPOMI space-borne data, and the CMAQ air quality model. Science of the Total Environment 921 e171059. 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171059. Bhar, S., Lele, S., Min, J. , & Rao, N. (2024). Water, air pollution and carbon footprints of conspicuous/luxury consumption in India. Ecological Economics 218 e108104. 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2024.108104. Niamir, L. , Mastrucci, A. , & van Ruijven, B. (2024). Energizing building renovation: Unraveling the dynamic interplay of building stock evolution, individual behaviour, and social norms. Energy Research & Social Science 110 e103445. 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103445.