2015 News Archive

The 2015 research and updates from the Ecosystems Services & Management Program.

18 December 2015
The Paris climate agreement: A vital turning point

The Paris climate talks have yielded an international agreement pledging to keep warming well below 2°C, and endeavoring to limit it to 1.5°C. IIASA hails this as a breakthrough but, as Director General and CEO Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat says: “The real work has yet to begin.”  More

14 December 2015
Algae cultivation could bring benefits for climate, food security

A new study examines the potential of algae as a livestock feed source, and potential benefits for climate change mitigation and food security.  More

07 December 2015
Negative emissions no silver bullet for climate change mitigation

There are significant constraints to large-scale deployment of negative emissions technologies in the future to reach climate change targets, according to a new study including IIASA research. The study emphasizes that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced aggressively and immediately.  More

30 November 2015
Large role for land in country climate pledges

An assessment of the individual country pledges for the Paris climate summit shows that agriculture, forestry, and other land-based factors will play an important role in emissions reductions.  More

19 November 2015
Monitoring food security with mobile phones

With a mobile data collection app and satellite data, scientists may be able to project whether a certain region is vulnerable to food shortages and malnutrition. The method has now been tested in the Central African Republic.  More

09 November 2015
World Bank Report: Climate, development and poverty

IIASA research conducted for a new World Bank report shows the key role of agriculture and forestry in addressing the interlinked challenges of climate change and poverty.  More

29 October 2015
Citizen science takes aim at deforestation

IIASA researchers aim to build a new deforestation map with the help of players in their new Picture Pile game.  More

19 October 2015
Carbon sequestration in soil: The potential underfoot

Declining greenhouse gas emissions from European cropland could compensate for up to 7% of annual agricultural emissions from the region, according to a new study analyzing the carbon uptake potential of soil. However at global scale, indirect effects could offset significant parts of these emission savings.  More

07 October 2015
Study on land use change underlies Brazil’s climate commitment

A new report from an international consortium including IIASA researchers provides the scientific guidance on deforestation and land use change to support Brazil in developing an evidence-based climate pledge.  More

28 September 2015
New project integrates climate and development research

A new grant from the European Union Horizon 2020 framework program for research and innovation links climate mitigation and adaptation policies with broader sustainable development questions at a global and regional level.  More

18 September 2015
Systems analysis for global transformations

A special issue of the journal Technological Forecasting and Social Change explores research on uncertainty and global transformations.  More

28 August 2015
Downward revision in Chinese carbon dioxide emissions

Chinese carbon dioxideemissions could be lower than previously estimated, according to a new study published in the journal Nature.  More

21 August 2015
Boreal forests challenged by global change

Forest management must adapt in order to ensure that forests stay healthy in a time of unprecedented environmental change.  More

29 July 2015
Existing climate policies have major potential

Replicating climate and energy policies with proven potential around the world could significantly contribute to bringing GHG emissions towards being on track to meet the 2°C target.  More

09 July 2015
FotoQuest Austria: An adventure in citizen science

FotoQuest Austria, a summer citizen science campaign, allows participants to explore the outdoors while taking pictures and collecting observations for science, using a game-like app on their mobile devices.  More

06 July 2015
New report weighs sustainable development trade-offs

Natural resources management must be an integral part of policy to support the Sustainable Development Goals, argues a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), based on IIASA research.  More

23 June 2015
A new resource for clean energy systems

IIASA researchers have contributed to a major new reference work on renewable energy, climate mitigation methods, and sustainable energy.  More

18 June 2015
FAO: What climate change implies for global food security and trade

A new book including IIASA research takes stock of climate change impacts on food and agriculture at global and regional levels.  More

26 May 2015
Nordic forests under pressure

In the future, Nordic forests may become increasingly torn between demands from global industry, climate change mitigation, and environmental concerns, according to a new book.  More

21 May 2015
Energy and nature in the Alps: a balancing act

The Alps offer great potential for renewable energy production. But this simultaneously increases the pressure on nature. The recharge.green project, concluding this week, finds ways to ensure this balancing act succeeds.  More

11 May 2015
For biofuels and climate, location matters

Dedicating more land to biofuel production can lead to increased greenhouse gas emissions, which take decades to make up for. A new study shows that geography is a key factor determining how big that impact is.  More

21 April 2015
Sustainable development goals and the land-water-food nexus

Tackling the Sustainable Development Goals, with 17 different aims, requires coordinated action that takes into account the co-benefits and tradeoffs between the interlinked goals, according to new studies presented at the Global Soil Week 2015.  More

08 April 2015
New global crop data aid in food policy decisions

IIASA cropland maps form the basis of a new interactive web site, which shows production of 42 crops at ten-kilometer resolution.  More

30 March 2015
Citizen scientists map global forests

New global forest maps combine citizen science with multiple data sources, for an unprecedented level of accuracy about the location and extent of forestland worldwide.  More

19 March 2015
Development of a global hybrid forest mask through the synergy of remote sensing, crowdsourcing and FAO statistics

First global forest cover map calibrated with FAO FRA statistics is produced based on integration of remote sensing data and crowdsourcing.  More

05 March 2015
The big questions in climate impact science

A workshop at IIASA brought together international researchers to examine the big picture of climate change impacts around the world, and make a new research plan to hone in on the major remaining questions.  More

03 February 2015
How will ocean acidification impact marine life?

A new analysis provides a holistic assessment of the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on marine organisms including coral, shellfish, sea urchins, and other calcifying species.  More

16 January 2015
Finding farmland: New maps offer a clearer view of global agriculture

A new global cropland map combines multiple satellite data sources, reconciled using crowdsourced accuracy checks, to provide an improved record of total cropland extent as well as field size around the world.  More



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Last edited: 28 September 2016

CONTACT DETAILS

Elisabeth Preihs

Program and Project Officer Systemic Risk and Resilience Research Group - Advancing Systems Analysis Program

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
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Phone: (+43 2236) 807 0 Fax:(+43 2236) 71 313