Caroline Zimm

Caroline Zimm is a research scholar in the Transformative Institutional and Social Solutions (TISS) Research Group in the Energy, Climate, and Environment (ECE) Program and the Equity and Justice (EQU) Research Group in the Population and Just Societies (POPJUS) Program.

She currently works on the international research initiatives of the Earth Commission of the Global Commons Alliance (www.earthcommission.org), and The World in 2050 (TWI2050) initiative (www.twi2050.org). Her research is concerned with the diffusion of technologies and policies for sustainable development, inequalities across countries, and transformative development pathways for humanity within a stable Earth system.

Prior to joining IIASA in 2014, she worked in development cooperation and on consulting projects in the field of rural energy supply, energy access, and climate change. She held positions with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), a private consulting firm, and the German Development Agency (GIZ) where she was based in Cambodia and India.

Zimm received her PhD from the University of Technology in Vienna (Energy Economics Group), focusing on the early stage of electric vehicle diffusion. She holds a master's degree in environmental and resource management from the University of Applied Life Sciences Vienna, where she majored in renewable energies, a diploma (MBA. equiv.) in international business administration from the University for Economics and Business Administration Vienna, and a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Vienna.

Last update: 11 MAY 2021

Zimm, C. & Nakicenovic, N. (2022). What are the implications of the Paris Agreement for inequality? In: Making Climate Action More Effective: Lessons Learned from the First Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Eds. Pauw, W.P. & Klein, R.J.T., Routledge. ISBN 9780367754082

van Vuuren, D., Zimm, C. , Busch, S., Kriegler, E., Leininger, J., Messner, D., Nakicenovic, N. , Rockstrom, J., et al. (2021). Defining a Sustainable Development Target Space for 2030 and 2050. EarthArXiv (Submitted)

Zimm, C. (2021). Improving the Understanding of Electrical Vehicle Technology and Policy Diffusion across Countries. Transport Policy 105, 54-66. 10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.12.012.

Rockström, J., Gupta, J., Lenton, T.M., Qin, D., Lade, S.J., Abrams, J.F., Jacobson, L., Rocha, J.C., et al. (2021). Identifying a safe and just corridor for people and the planet. Earth's Future 9 (4), e2020EF001866. 10.1029/2020EF001866.

Boza-Kiss, B. , Pachauri, S. , & Zimm, C. (2021). Deprivations and Inequities in Cities Viewed Through a Pandemic Lens. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 3, e645914. 10.3389/frsc.2021.645914.

Zakeri, B. , Paulavets, K., Barreto-Gomez, L., Gomez Echeverri, L., Pachauri, S. , Rogelj, J. , Creutzig, F., Urge-Vorsatz, D., et al. (2021). Transformations within reach: Pathways to a sustainable and resilient world - Rethinking energy solutions. IIASA Report. IIASA-ISC

Nakicenovic, N. , Zimm, C. , Matusiak, M., & Ciampi Stancova, K. (2021). Smart Specialisation, Sustainable Development Goals and Environmental Commons. Publications Office of the European Union

SDG7 Technical Advisory Group, (2021). Leveraging Energy Action for Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals: Policy Briefs in Support of the High-Level Political Forum. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)

Gomez Echeverri, L., Zakeri, B. , Alexander, S., Barreto-Gomez, L., Bazilian, M., Boza-Kiss, B. , Creutzig, F., Fritz, S., et al. (2020). Report on Second Consultative Science Platform. Bouncing Forward Sustainably: Pathways to a post-COVID World. Sustainable Energy. IIASA-ISC

Andersen, I., Ishii, N., Brooks, T., Cummis, C., Fonseca, G., Hillers, A., Macfarlane, N., Nakicenovic, N. , et al. (2020). Defining “Science-based Targets”. National Science Review 8 (7), nwaa186. 10.1093/nsr/nwaa186.

TWI2050 - The World in 2050, (2020). Innovations for Sustainability. Pathways to an efficient and post-pandemic future. Report prepared by The World in 2050 initiative. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

Zakeri, B. , Barreto-Gomez, L., Boza-Kiss, B. , Gomez Echeverri, L., Fritz, S., Gielen, D., Ghoneim, R., Pachauri, S. , et al. (2020). Bouncing Forward Sustainably: Pathways to a post-COVID world. Sustainable Energy. IIASA-ISC

Wilson, C. , Grubler, A. , Bento, N., Healey, S., De Stercke, S., & Zimm, C. (2020). Granular technologies to accelerate decarbonization. Science 368 (6486), 36-39. 10.1126/science.aaz8060.

Lanzi, E., Agrawala, S., Dellink, R., Lutz, W., Zimm, C. , Nakicenovic, N. , Fritz, S., & Rao, N. (2020). Developing Pathways to Sustainability: Fulfilling Human Needs and Aspirations while Maintaining Human Life Support Systems. In: Systemic Thinking for Policy Making: The Potential of Systems Analysis for Addressing Global Policy Challenges in the 21st Century. pp. 39-48 Paris, France: New Approaches to Economic Challenges, OECD Publishing. ISBN 978-92-64-49456-510.1787/879c4f7a-en.

Zimm, C. , Nakicenovic, N. , & Cutts, G. (2020). The emergence of thinking in systems. In: The power of place: A sustainable future with geospatial insights. Eds. Budello, L. & Henserson, D., pp. 32-35 Knowledge Transfer Network and Ordnance Survey.

Zimm, C. , Goldemberg, J., Nakicenovic, N. , & Busch, S. (2019). Is the renewables transformation a piece of cake or a pie in the sky? Energy Strategy Reviews 26, e100401. 10.1016/j.esr.2019.100401.

TWI2050 - The World in 2050, (2019). The Digital Revolution and Sustainable Development: Opportunities and Challenges. Report prepared by the World in 2050 initiative. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

Zimm, C. (2019). Methodological issues in measuring international inequality in technology ownership and infrastructure service use. Development Studies Research 6 (1), 92-105. 10.1080/21665095.2019.1605533.

Zimm, C. & Nakicenovic, N. (2019). What are the implications of the Paris Agreement for inequality? Climate Policy, 1-10. 10.1080/14693062.2019.1581048.

Johnson, N., Burek, P. , Byers, E. , Falchetta, G., Flörke, M., Fujimori, S., Havlik, P. , Hejazi, M., et al. (2019). Integrated Solutions for the Water-Energy-Land Nexus: Are Global Models Rising to the Challenge? Water 11 (11), no. 2223. 10.3390/w11112223.

Nakicenovic, N. & Wilson, C. (2019). Transformations towards zero-carbon development pathways. In: Emissions Gap Report 2019. pp. 39-45 Nairobi: UNEP. ISBN 978-92-807-3766-0

TWI2050 - The World in 2050, (2018). Transformations to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Report prepared by The World in 2050 initiative. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

Zimm, C. , Sperling, F., & Busch, S. (2018). Identifying Sustainability and Knowledge Gaps in Socio-Economic Pathways Vis-à-Vis the Sustainable Development Goals. Economies 6 (2), p. 20. 10.3390/economies6020020.

Nakicenovic, N. & Zimm, C. (2017). New technological solutions for the Sustainable Development Goals and beyond. Environmental Scientist 26 (3), 68-73.

Nakicenovic, N. , Rockstroem, J., Gaffney, O., & Zimm, C. (2017). Global Commons in the Anthropocene: World Development on a Stable and Resilient Planet. In: IIASA Institutional Evaluation 2017, 27 February-1 March 2017, IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria.

Zimm, C. & Nakicenovic, N. (2017). Carbon Lorenz Curves revisited: Do the Paris Agreement and its Nationally Determined Contributions reflect a more equitable future emissions pathway? In: IEWT 2017 10. Internationale Energiewirtschaftstagung "Klimaziele 2050: Chance für einen Paradigmenwechsel?", 15-17 February 2017, TU Wien, Vienna.

Nakicenovic, N. & Zimm, C. (2017). Back to the Future: The Role of Quantitative Scenarios and Narratives in Understanding Transformation to Sustainability. In: Future Scenarios of Global Cooperation – Practices and Challenges. Eds. Dahlhaus, N. & Weißkopf, D., pp. 24-34 Duisburg, Germany: Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research. 10.14282/2198-0403-GD-14.

Nakicenovic, N. , Rockström, J., Gaffney, O., & Zimm, C. (2016). Global Commons in the Anthropocene: World Development on a Stable and Resilient Planet. IIASA Working Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: WP-16-019