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The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) announced today that Israel has become its newest member country. Israel joins 24 other countries whose National Member Organization’s representatives constitute the IIASA Governing Council. More
The latest land cover map of Africa has exceptionally high resolution, picking out features at just 20 m. However, its detail does not reflect its accuracy, which lies at 65%, IIASA researchers have discovered, not as high as many had hoped. More
IIASA energy and air quality researchers have been recognized again for their outstanding contribution to scientific literature in the field of geosciences. More
A new studyconcludes that 16 out of 25 analysed countries and regions are not on track to achieve the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) targets they have set for themselves on greenhouse gas emissions. More
A ten-point memorandum defines key global challenges for the coming years and calls upon state and non-governmental actors to accelerate their efforts to tackle climate change. More
Should policymakers be aiming to increase the number of people that are happy or the average happiness regardless of population size? However we choose to value the wellbeing of future generations, a smaller population could save tens of billions of dollars annually on climate change prevention policies. More
Switching from using fuelwood to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking would provide modest climate benefits, but the extent of these depend on whether the wood is renewably sourced, and if the short-lived emissions from burning wood are taken into account, according to a new analysis focused on India. More
The IIASA-led Arctic Futures Initiative (AFI) has entered into a unique partnership with the Arctic Circle. This alliance combines the expertise of IIASA, a world leader in systems analysis, with the convening power of the Arctic Circle, the largest network of international dialogue and cooperation on the future of the Arctic. More
The executive summary of the UN’s report on population aging, released today, incorporates new measures of aging developed at IIASA—leading to more optimistic projections for aging populations around the world. More
Professor Michael Clegg of the USA has been elected as Council Chair by the IIASA Governing Council, the institute’s governing body. More
Since its early days as an East-West institute crossing the Cold War divide, IIASA has developed into a leading international institute addressing global challenges of the 21st century. More
Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture and forestry sectors could lead to increased food prices—but new research identifies strategies that could help mitigate climate change while avoiding steep hikes in food prices. More
Three new data sets, developed with input from citizen scientists and the IIASA scientific network, have been fully documented and published in a new Nature open access journal. More
FotoQuest GO—a citizen science campaign aimed at collecting observations of land use and land cover across Austria—launches this week. Researchers hope it will bring a leap forward in community-based land-use change monitoring. More
Excess emissions from diesel cars cause about 5,000 premature deaths annually across Europe, a new study shows. More
Significant emission reductions are required if we are to achieve one of the key goals of the Paris Agreement, and limit the increase in global average temperatures to 1.5°C, a new study warns. More
The second annual Southern African Systems Analysis Centre’s Emerging Researchers Program has been launched. It focuses on training young researchers in Southern Africa in systems analysis methods and research skills. More
More targeted efforts are needed from both the public and private insurance sectors in order to encourage people to take action to reduce their risk of flood damage, according to a new study of three European countries. More
Around 40% of irrigated agriculture is unsustainable, according to a new study. However, better farm water management could help reconcile global water, environment, and food targets. More
IIASA Director General and CEO, Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat, made an official visit to the People’s Republic of China from 2-7 July 2017 to participate in the international symposium "Funding Science and People Cooperation for a Prosperous Belt and Road" which was organized by IIASA National Member Organization the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). More
The International Center for Climate Governance has ranked IIASA second place in their annual global listing of top think tanks for climate change economics and policy. More
How can we ensure forest protection and sustainable forest biomass production at the same time? A first-ever global map of certified forest areas, based on a participatory and collaborative mapping approach, contributes to the answer. More
The Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol aims to phase down the consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), chemicals that have strong global warming impacts. IIASA research provides the first analysis of costs and the importance of electricity savings and technological development for keeping implementation costs low. More
A proposed tax on systemically risky financial transactions could reduce the risk of financial system crashes by spurring financial networks to reshape in more resilient ways. More
New measures of aging, combined with UN population projections, show that population aging is likely to end before 2100 in China, Germany, and the USA. More
A clear priority focus on human capital—health and education—together with maintaining functioning environmental services offer a vision for an achievable and sustainable future, argues Wolfgang Lutz in his PNAS Inaugural Article. More
IIASA Council welcomes the report of the independent Institutional Review of IIASA, and its recommendations to further strengthen IIASA's unique strengths and global reach. More
Human interventions to harness water resources, such as reservoirs, dams, and irrigation measures, have increased water availability for much of the global population, but at the same time, swept water scarcity problems downstream. More
From the air, Bali’s rice terraces look like colorful mosaics, because farmers plant their fields at different times. A new study shows that the resulting fractal patterns actually lead to optimal harvests, without overarching management. More
A new report shows a record power capacity of 161 gigawatts added in 2016, even as less capital was invested. More
Emission reduction pledges made by individual countries under the Paris Agreement leave a wide range of possible climate outcomes, according to new research. Without stronger pledges, the study shows, the climate goals may not be possible to achieve. More
During the month of May, IIASA staff members rode their bicycles over 15,000 kilometers to and from the office, as part of a national campaign to encourage more sustainable commuting options. More
Interactions between the 17 Sustainable Development Goals can lead to synergies as well as trade-offs. A new report, with major contributions from IIASA scientists, provides a detailed analysis of four goals and their influence on other targets. More
Excess NOx emissions from diesel engines have been linked to approximately 38,000 premature deaths worldwide in 2015—mostly in the European Union, China, and India. More
The discussion at this year’s Vienna Energy Forum served as an important contribution to the debate and review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris climate agreement and their successful implementation, said participants at the event taking place in the capital of Austria. More
Fast action on near-term warming will provide many potential benefits to achieving the global Sustainable Development Goal, according to new research from scientists at IIASA, in the USA and Europe. More
It is with great sadness that IIASA marks the passing of Manfred Strubegger. An outstanding scientist in the Energy Program, he was instrumental in the development of the program’s core modeling framework. More
For the next few weeks researchers are testing a new system to aid disaster damage mapping, providing much-needed real-time data to help communities recover and rebuild after disaster. More
For China, synthetic natural gas represents a trade-off between reducing air pollution, but increasing greenhouse gas emissions, according to new IIASA research conducted in collaboration with scientists in China and the USA. More
The new RESTORE+ project brings together ten international partners to develop policy-oriented solutions for tropical forest restoration in Indonesia, Brazil, and the Congo. More
In order to have a good chance of meeting the limits set by the Paris Agreement, it will be necessary to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions while preserving carbon sinks, with net emissions peaking in the next ten years, according to a new study. More
IIASA World Population Program Director Wolfgang Lutz has received a new grant from the European Research Council. Lutz is scientific director of the Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), and professor of applied statistics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). These institutions are part of the Wittgenstein Center, which Lutz leads. More
Small and medium farms produce more than half of the food globally, and produce the vast majority of food and nutrients in low income countries, according to a new study that maps global nutrient production from farms worldwide. More
As incomes rise, people buy more big appliances like washing machines, refrigerators, and televisions. But the link between income and appliance ownership is more complicated than is assumed. More
The IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program has selected the successful applicants for 2017, which marks the 40th year of the program. More
The rising use of unsustainable water supplies by international food producers is putting global food and water supplies at risk and could cause basic food prices to skyrocket, suggests a new study from international researchers. More
The Basel III regulatory framework, as planned, will not reduce systemic risk in the financial sector, according to new research. Instead, regulations should aim to increase the resilience of financial networks. More
In cooperation with National Member Organizations in Brazil, the Republic of Korea, and Mexico, IIASA welcomes nine early-career scientists to conduct research at the institute. More
Climate change will likely have negative impacts on food production in West Africa, but a new study provides insights on how strategic planning by decision makers could ease or exacerbate food security challenges in the region. More
Droughts can travel hundreds to thousands of kilometers from where they started, like a slow-moving hurricane. A new study sheds light on how these droughts evolve in space and time, bringing vital new insight for water managers. More
Forest ecologists have long sought to understand why so many different species of trees can coexist in the same niche. A modeling study is now providing clues. More
How climate change will affect future populations will depend to a great extent on people’s capacity to adapt to changing conditions. Such characteristics can be forecast in the long term, using well-established demographic methods, say IIASA researchers. More
The global commodity trade is a complex system where its network structure, which may arise from bilateral and multilateral agreements, affects its growth and resilience. At time of economic shocks, redundancy in this system is vital to the resilience of growth. More
Even as average incomes rise in developing countries, access to sanitation and clean energy have yet to reach the poorest people, a new study shows. But there is room for optimism. More
Transport and residential heating could be responsible for a greater contribution of black carbon in the Russian Arctic compared to gas flaring or power plants, according to new research. More
Emissions of methane and ethane from oil production have been substantially higher than previously estimated, particularly before 2005. More
Low-carbon energy is gaining momentum worldwide and is globally reducing carbon dioxide pollution, but unless new technologies are deployed, this momentum could be threatened. More
In many developing countries, economic growth and deforestation seem to go hand in hand—but the links are not well understood. In a new study, researchers use an innovative methodology to quantify the relationship. More
Variation in projected long-term carbon dioxide emissions are primarily driven by future income and energy efficiency, according to new research. More
Greenhouse gas emissions from the land-use sector will be lower if the rising demand for bioenergy is met with worldwide protection for areas important for biodiversity and carbon storage. More
Managing grazing on grasslands in a more efficient way could significantly increase global milk and meat production or free up land for other uses. More
An IIASA model helped inform a new tool for cities to optimize electric bus systems, which has now been used in Sweden’s first wireless charging bus system, launched in December. More
Changes in precipitation, which are linked to the warming of the Indian Ocean, are the main reason for recent changes in groundwater storage in India. More
Four exceptional young scientists from the 2016 Young Scientists Summer Program will receive funding to continue their research projects at IIASA in 2017. More
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
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