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 five 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.
Themes
Nutrient cycling
Non-CO2 greenhouse gas sources
ECE Nexus
Just and Feasible Transitions
Scenario Services and Scientific Software
Access to Energy Services
Heterogeneities and Inequalities
Finance
Modeling for National Transformations
Materials
Extreme Weather and Climate Dynamics
Sustainable buildings
Stakeholder Engagement in Climate Science
System dynamics of climate-economy-society interactions
Models, tools, datasets
Model for Energy Supply Strategy Alternatives and their General Environmental Impact (MESSAGEix)
The NExus Solutions Tool (NEST)
AR6 Scenario Explorer and Database
Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS)
Projects
Response of the Earth System to overshoot, Climate neUtrality and negative Emissions (RESCUE)
Energy Demand changes Induced by Technological and Social innovations (EDITS)
Staff
Robert Sander
Research Software Engineer (PM)
Adriano Vinca
Research Scholar (IACC, TISS)
Joeri Rogelj
Senior Research Scholar (ECE)
Mia Werning
Researcher (IACC, ICI)
News
27 May 2026
Temporary carbon removal could help support climate goals
Persistent methane emissions from sectors such as agriculture and growing debates over the credibility of carbon offsets are creating new challenges for governments and companies pursuing net-zero commitments. New research suggests temporary carbon storage may have a scientifically valid role in helping support climate goals, if used in the right way.
18 May 2026
Full fossil fuel phase-out by 2050 would require up to 80% more electricity generation
New research by an international team of scientists finds that fully phasing out fossil fuels worldwide by 2050 would require global electricity generation to expand by roughly 60 to 80% beyond the levels projected in conventional 1.5°C climate pathways. The study also shows that eliminating fossil fuels could significantly reduce dependence on CO2 removal technologies and underground carbon storage.
04 May 2026
Integrating energy, materials, and industry for climate and development goals
Within the framework of the International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum (IVECF) 2026, CircEUlar researchers Volker Krey (IIASA), Alessio Mastrucci (IIASA), Adriana Gomez Sanabria (IIASA), and Dominik Wiedenhofer (BOKU) convened a high-level Deep Dive session titled “Integrated green industrialisation strategies across the energy, material and climate nexus to achieve climate and development goals” on 10 April. The session brought together representatives from policy, industry, finance, international organisations, and research.
Events
Focus
27 April 2026
Cleaning the air in South Asia: Why science and cooperation matter
IIASA researchers Pallav Purohit and Zbigniew Klimont examined the urgent challenge of air pollution in South Asia and the opportunities to address it through science-based policy and regional cooperation. In the run-up to the recent International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum, they drew on recent research and real-world examples to highlight how integrated approaches to energy, climate, and air quality can deliver cleaner air, improved health, and more resilient economies for nearly one billion people.
23 April 2026
Building sector climate neutrality by 2050: Do we have a concrete elephant in the room at home?
Ahead of the recent International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum, IIASA researchers Benigna Boza-Kiss and Shonali Pachauri explored the often-overlooked role of the building sector in achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Drawing on IIASA research, they highlight the urgent need to transform how buildings are designed, renovated, and used, emphasizing demand-side solutions, policy reform, and systemic change to avoid locking in emissions for decades to come.
Publications
Eker, S. , Reiter, C. , Liu, Q., Kuhn, M., & Lutz, W. (2026). Wellbeing cost of carbon. Global Sustainability 9 e1. 10.1017/sus.2025.10042.
Nishiura, O., Fujimori, S. , & Oshiro, K. (2026). Development of a computable general equilibrium model representing direct air capture and carbon dioxide utilization. Energy and Climate Change 7 e100250. 10.1016/j.egycc.2026.100250.
Zhou, Y., He, H., Zhang, S. , Yu, F., & Yi, B. (2026). Impact of renewable energy resource endowment on capacity configuration optimization for wind-solar-storage-transmission systems. Energy Conversion and Management: X 31 e101957. 10.1016/j.ecmx.2026.101957.
Nikas, A., Sampedro, J., Al Khourdajie, A. , Arto, I., Balderrama, S., Boasson, E.L., Cartwright, A., Feijoo, F., Fragkos, P., Frilingou, N., García-Muros, X., Herbig, V., Karamaneas, A., Koasidis, K., Ma, L., Mittal, S., Moleskis, M., Nikolakakis, T., Pathak, M., Peters, G.P., Platias, C., Pietzcker, R.C., Raihan, S., Rodés-Bachs, C., Rogelj, J. , Śniegocki, A., Sognnæs, I., Solomou, P., Spatharidou, D., Taliotis, C., Tigka, C., Tomás, M., Trachanas, G.P., Tsipouridis, I., van de Ven, D.-J., Vienni-Baptista, B., Zachariadis, T., Arnokourou, A., Makri, E., Gambhir, A., Kratena, K., & Xexakis, G. (2026). The challenge with climate-energy-economy models in constructing fair and equitable climate futures. Futures 181 e103850. 10.1016/j.futures.2026.103850.
Cofler, E., Colelli, F.P., Falchetta, G. , & Tavoni, M. (2026). Modeling policies for the EU building stock decarbonization at sub-national resolution. Energy and Buildings 362 e117521. 10.1016/j.enbuild.2026.117521.