2012 News

18 December 2012
Does disaster risk management pay?

IIASA research brings a new perspective to assessing whether and where disaster risk management provides for economic benefits.  More

16 December 2012
Nature Climate Change: Action by 2020 key for limiting climate change

Limiting climate change to target levels will become much more difficult to achieve, and more expensive, if action is not taken soon, according to a new analysis from IIASA, ETH Zurich, and NCAR.  More

14 December 2012
Air pollution and health: IIASA contributes to global health report

A new international report provides an unprecedented picture of global health problems and their causes. IIASA researchers contributed data on air pollution exposure to the report.  More

10 December 2012
IIASA deputy director joins Austrian presidential delegation to Argentina

IIASA Deputy Director Nebojsa Nakicenovic visited the Argentine Republic last week as member of an official visit of the Austrian Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer and his delegation.  More

05 December 2012
Evolution: Social exclusion leads to cooperation

Social exclusion as a punishment strategy helps explain the evolution of cooperation, according to new IIASA research.  More

04 December 2012
Southern African YSSP opens in Bloemfontein

The first Southern African Young Scientists Summer Program (SA-YSSP) officially opened on 2 December 2012 at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, with 20 graduate students from around the world.  More

03 December 2012
IIASA scientist brings sustainability to industry

IIASA Deputy Director Nebojsa Nakicenovic has been named to the OMV Advisory Board for Resourcefulness.  More

30 November 2012
IIASA demographer presents new findings in Australia

IIASA’s Wolfgang Lutz gave a public lecture yesterday in Australia, co-sponsored by IIASA’s newest National Member Organization, CSIRO.  More

29 November 2012
Integrating science and policy to address the impacts of air pollution

An article in this week’s Sciencemagazine examines how science and policies address air pollution effects on human health, ecosystems, and climate change in Europe.  More

28 November 2012
Stigson named IIASA private sector advisor

Björn Stigson, Chairman of Stigson and Partners AB and Former President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), has been named as an advisor to IIASA Director and CEO Prof. Pavel Kabat.  More

27 November 2012
UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2012

IIASA researchers contributed to a new UNEP report showing that avoiding potentially dangerous levels of global warming is still possible, but requires major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions before 2020.  More

26 November 2012
Water at a crossroads

In an interview with Nature Climate Change, IIASA Director and CEO Pavel Kabatcalls for a long-term systems approach to water research, and new partnerships with developing countries aimed at increasing education and cooperation.  More

26 November 2012
IIASA at COP18

IIASA energy and climate experts participated in the annual UNFCC Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar.  More

20 November 2012
Students selected for IIASA Southern African Young Scientists Summer Program

The Southern African Young Scientists Summer Program (SA-YSSP) has selected its first class, extending invitations to 25 advanced PhD students from 20 countries.  More

20 November 2012
Redefining age: IIASA population researcher wins ERC Advanced Grant

IIASA demographer Sergei Scherbov has won an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council to explore population aging and its impacts on Europe and beyond.  More

19 November 2012
World in Transition: New online learning opportunity

IIASA has contributed to a new online learning course now available from the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), a series of lectures discussing the global transformation to a low-carbon society.  More

13 November 2012
Tackling unnatural disasters

IIASA researchers study the risks and potential impacts of natural disasters, helping communities, countries and the international community plan ahead in order to reduce the large burdens from disaster.  More

07 November 2012
Russian forests pivotal in mitigating climate change

Russian forests provided more than 90 percent of the carbon sink of the world’s boreal forests from 2002 to 2007, according to IIASA research published in a new report from the FAO.  More

07 November 2012
Science to policy: Reducing short-lived greenhouse gases

IIASA researcher Marcus Amann has been named to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, an international initiative aimed at reducing short-lived but powerful greenhouse gases such as methane and black carbon.  More

26 October 2012
Efforts to mitigate climate change must target energy efficiency: Nature Climate Change study

Much more must be done to develop energy efficient cars, buildings and domestic appliances to halt climate change, according to new research from IIASA, the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia.  More

23 October 2012
Australia joins IIASA

IIASA today announced that Australia will become its newest member country.  More

19 October 2012
Global Energy Assessment available online October 20th

The IIASA-coordinated assessment shows that a global energy transformation toward sustainable future is feasible, affordable, and would provide multiple benefits for society and the environment. The full report will be freely available for download as of 20 October, 2012.  More

17 October 2012
Aging in Africa

People over the age of 60 will be fastest-growing population segment in sub-Saharan Africa in the next decades. What challenges and opportunities does this change present for the region?  More

16 October 2012
IIASA and the UN: The water energy nexus

IIASA Director & CEO Prof. Pavel Kabat met on Monday, 15 October with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.  More

15 October 2012
Post-Doc Applications Now Open

The application period is now open for the IIASA Postdoctoral Fellowship program  More

09 October 2012
IIASA at REDD workshops: Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation

IIASA researchers participated in three workshops in the last week that focused on developing effective strategies for reducing carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.  More

08 October 2012
Bioenergy plus carbon capture and storage: Options for Indonesia

By coupling bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, a combination known as BECCS, it might be possible to increase the energy supply and augment energy security without adding to the problems of climate change and air pollution.  More

08 October 2012
Global emission scenarios to 2030

From 8 to 10 October, IIASA researchers are participating in a workshop to discuss future air pollution scenarios, as well as the likely impacts of legislation to control emissions.  More

05 October 2012
IIASA celebrates 40 years

IIASA celebrated its 40thanniversary with a ceremonial flag-raising yesterday in Laxenburg.  More

02 October 2012
IIASA celebrates its 40th anniversary

The IIASA Charter was signed on 4 October 1972 at the Royal Society in London. "It was a great honor to be there," says Dr. Tibor Vasko, the signatory for former Czechoslovakia, "after so many years of preparation."  More

26 September 2012
Global Energy Assessment and the Netherlands

IIASA's Nebojsa Nakicenovic speaks Thursday in the Netherlands about the key findings of the Global Energy Assessment.  More

21 September 2012
Vienna Philharmonic becomes goodwill ambassador for IIASA

The Vienna Philharmonic and IIASA are delighted to announce that the Vienna Philharmonic has become the first Goodwill Ambassador for IIASA.  More

20 September 2012
Slowing the Arctic thaw

Cutting emissions of short-lived pollutants like black carbon and methane is feasible and could help to slow the warming of the Arctic, according to IIASA research.  More

11 September 2012
Energy from the Sahara Desert? New study to explore the risks

In the future, Europe might get a large part of its energy from solar and wind farms in the Sahara. IIASA researcher Anthony Patt has received a major EU research grant to examine the risks and consequences of such a project.  More

11 September 2012
After 40 years, Russia remains leading partner in IIASA

IIASA Director and CEO Pavel Kabat visited Moscow from 9 to 15 September 2012, to meet with IIASA network members in the Russian Federation.  More

07 September 2012
Global Energy Assessment: Full report now available

The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) is now available from Cambridge University Press.  More

07 September 2012
New book: Energizing sustainable cities

Cities house about half the world’s population, but use 60 to 80 percent of global energy, according to a new assessment by IIASA scientists, now published as a book-Energizing Sustainable Cities.  More

06 September 2012
More private investment for sustainable energy: WBGU Report

In order to transform to a system of clean and sustainable energy, Germany and other countries must invest billions in energy transformations.  More

05 September 2012
2012 IIASA postdoctoral research fellows selected

IIASA is pleased to announce its 2012 postdoctoral researchers: Wei Liu and Nicklas Forsell.  More

04 September 2012
Accounting for carbon in grass and forests

Grasslands in Indonesia store more carbon than previously thought, according to new research conducted in collaboration with IIASA by Wageningen University researcher Ishak Yassir.  More

03 September 2012
Apply now for the Southern African Young Scientists Summer Program

Applications are now open for a new 3-month research training program for advanced PhD students.  More

03 September 2012
Welcome to IIASA's New Website

Launched on 3rd September 2012, IIASA's new website offers new content and new functionality in a clean design to help you find the information you need.  More

30 August 2012
IIASA young scientists end successful summer

49 advanced PhD students from 24 countries left IIASA today, completing their participation in the 35th annual Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP).  More

28 August 2012
New IIASA research at Asian Population Conference

IIASA population researchers are presenting new findings at the Asian Population Association Conference, which runs from 26 to 29 August in Bangkok, Thailand.  More

22 August 2012
Science for a sustainable future: IIASA at Alpbach Forum

How will science and technology shape our global future?  More

11 July 2012
Workshop series on new energy transformation pathways and tools

A series of capacity building workshops, organized by UNIDO, GEF, IIASA,and local partners, have recently been held in Cape Verde, India, and Armenia for regional policymakers.  More

03 July 2012
Wolfgang Lutz addresses “birth rate” tensions in keynote

Wolfgang Lutz, leader of IIASA’s World Population Program and Director of the Wittgenstein Centre,gave a lecture on “Starting a family in times of decreased fertility"  More

26 June 2012
Indonesia joins IIASA

IIASA is delighted to announce the Republic of Indonesia as its newest national member.  More

20 June 2012
Global Energy Assessment launched at RIO+20

The most comprehensive energy assessment ever undertaken, the Global Energy Assessment (GEA), was launched on June 19 by UNIDO Director-General Kandeh Yumkella at RIO+20.  More

19 June 2012
IIASA at RIO+20

IIASA scientists are among the estimated 50,000 delegates attending the RIO+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development and pre meetings, Brazil 11-22 June.  More

16 June 2012
Systems science for policy evaluation

In the latest issue of Science IIASA’s Pavel Kabat states that narrowly focused, single-disciplinary science alone cannot adequately underpin policies and solutions to resolve major sustainability challenges  More

12 June 2012
IIASA education research at the European Population Conference

IIASA’s groundbreaking work on the role of education in population development is being featured at the European Population Conference 2012, in Stockholm, Sweden, starting June 13.  More

26 May 2012
Summit on Strengthening Energy Safety

An Energy Summit under the auspices of Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, took place in Prague 24-25 May to explore Europe’s changing gas markets.  More

25 May 2012
FAO and IIASA launch land planning web portal

A new online data portal developed by the FAO and IIASA aims to help unlock the planet’s potential to feed a rapidly growing population.  More

24 May 2012
President of Austria meets IIASA Director

IIASA Director/CEO Prof. Pavel Kabat met on 24 May with the Federal President of Austria Dr. Heinz Fischer to brief him about IIASA’s current research, including the Global Energy Assessment, and future IIASA research into water and food.  More

16 May 2012
IIASA selects participants for Young Scientists Summer Program

Forty-nine students from 24 countries have been selected for IIASA’s 2012 Young Scientists Summer Program.  More

14 May 2012
Registration now open for IIASA’s 40th Anniversary Conference

Registration is now open for IIASA’s 40th Anniversary Conference, Worlds Within Reach: From Science to Policy, to be held 24-26th October 2012 at the Hofburg Palace Vienna and at IIASA.  More

09 May 2012
Low-Carbon Prosperity: WBGU International Symposium

The Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Angela Merkel, will give the opening address at the WBGU International Symposium ‘Towards Low-Carbon Prosperity: National Strategies and International Partnerships’, 9 May.  More

09 May 2012
Wolfgang Lutz elected to Austrian Academy of Sciences

Leader of IIASA’s World Population Program Wolfgang Lutz has been elected as a full member to the Austrian Academy of Sciences.  More

08 May 2012
IPCC Special Report: Managing the Risks of Extreme Events (SREX)

The Austrian Federal Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Nikolaus Berlakovich and IIASA’s Reinhard Mechler will today, 8 May, brief international press on the findings of the IPCC SREX report, specifically as they relate to Europe, Austria and Africa.  More

03 May 2012
IIASA catastrophe model workshop in Madagascar

IIASA researchers met with high-level officials from Madagascar's Ministries of Finance and Economic Affairs, 2-4 May, to demonstrate how the IIASA CatSim model can be used to incorporate disaster risk management into development planning.  More

19 April 2012
World Water Think Tank meets at IIASA

Ensuring there is a sufficient and reliable supply of water to meet the food, energy, and social needs of future generations, without compromising sustainability goals, was the focus of a meeting held at IIASA, Laxenburg, 19-21 April.  More

02 April 2012
Picky females promote biodiversity

A new study in Nature by IIASA and University of British Columbia researchers is the first to demonstrate that selective mating alone enables the long-term coexistence of species, given that the choosy mating behavior of females bears a cost and resources are not distributed evenly over space.  More

29 March 2012
IPCC Special Report on Extreme events (SREX) launched

An IPCC Special Report calls for increased efforts to help communities adapt to the growing risks of extreme weather events linked to human-induced climate change.  More

28 March 2012
Global Soil Partnership selects IIASA database

The Harmonized World Soil Database (HWSD) was adopted by the Global Soil Partnership as the definitive database for global analyses during a meeting in Rome attended by IIASA scientist David Wiberg, a lead HWSD author.  More

26 March 2012
Long-term energy vision outlined for RIO+20

Substantial improvements in energy efficiency and large scale investments in technology development and deployment are among the measures urgently needed to meet the escalating, human and environmental challenges associated with the global energy system.  More

22 March 2012
IIASA at Planet Under Pressure

Twelve IIASA scientists will join an estimated 2800 delegates at the Planet Under Pressure conference, London 25-29 March, one of the major scientific conferences leading up to RIO+20.  More

21 March 2012
Vietnamese Delegation visits IIASA

A delegation from Vietnam led by Prof. Dr. Sc. Nguyen Dinh Cong, Vice-President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) visited IIASA on 21 March.  More

12 March 2012
IIASA at the World Water Forum

IIASA’s Pavel Kabat and Nebojsa Nakicenovic will give keynote presentations and participate in discussions at the 6th World Water Forum 12-17 March, Marseille, France.  More

08 March 2012
IIASA study of public goods discussed in Nature

An IIASA study on how to use sanctions for protecting public goods, published in January in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was praised in the journal Nature...  More

02 March 2012
Demography’s role in Sustainable Development

In a letter to the editor of Science (24 Feb), several IIASA researchers and another 17 development experts outline how humans (population size, distribution, and characteristics) are central to sustainability.  More

25 February 2012
Robert Henry Pry 1923-2012

IIASA’s fifth Director (1987-1990), Dr. Robert Henry Pry, passed away 15 Feb at the age of 88.  More

23 February 2012
US Secretary of State announces new global clean air initiative

The contribution of IIASA’s GAINS model in guiding climate change mitigation action has been recognised in an address by US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton at the launch of the US Climate and Clean Air Coalition, which aims to reduce short-lived air pollutants.  More

22 February 2012
Global energy futures focus of Embassy meeting

IIASA Deputy Director, Nebojsa Nakicenovic, was among the guests at a lunch hosted by Sweden’s Ambassador to Austria, Nils Daag, Feb 17, to discuss global energy and new research that may inform energy strategies.  More

17 February 2012
Postdoctoral Program offering scholarships

IIASA is accepting on-line applications for the 2012 Postdoctoral Program, which provides young scholars with up to two years of hands-on professional experience in an international scientific environment near Vienna, Austria.  More

14 February 2012
New web tool to help improve accuracy of land cover maps

A new web tool has been developed to help improve the accuracy and extent of land use and forest cover information.  More

10 February 2012
IIASA hosts Arctic Council Task Force preparatory meeting

Senior advisors and ministerial staff involved in the Arctic Council Task Force on Short-Lived Climate Forcers met at IIASA, Feb 8 – 9, to prepare for the next assessment of policy options to reduce black carbon and methane emissions in the Arctic region.  More

08 February 2012
Minister Karlheinz Töchterle visits IIASA

The Austrian Federal Minister for Science and Research, Dr. Karlheinz Töchterle, visited IIASA at Schloss Laxenburg on 8 Feb.  More

05 February 2012
Protecting biodiversity and mitigating climate change through REDD

A new study published in Nature Climate Change (5 Feb) shows that while the current rate of deforestation threatens to cause massive worldwide species extinctions, prompt implementation of an effective carbon payment system to avoid deforestation could deliver major biodiversity conservation benefits, while also helping to mitigate climate change.  More

01 February 2012
Water and climate expert to lead global research institute

Pavel Kabat today commences his appointment as Director of IIASA. Professor Kabat brings more than 30 years experience in water, land, climate, and global change research and science leadership to the position.  More

19 January 2012
EU bioenergy targets reduce carbon storage potential of forests

Research led by IIASA’s Hannes Böttcher finds that the carbon storage potential of EU forests will decline by 65 – 125 Mt of CO2 (or 25-40%) by 2030 compared to 2010.  More

13 January 2012
Mitigating climate change and improving health and food security

The IIASA GAINS model has been used to identify emission reduction strategies for methane and black carbon that mitigate near-term climate change and are beneficial to human health, agriculture, and the cryosphere.  More

12 January 2012
How to protect public goods

Institutions charged with safeguarding public goods should combine optional participation in social contracts with penalties for freeloaders.  More

11 January 2012
Economies in transition - 20 years after conference

Leading economists, academics, and politicians meet this week at IIASA to discuss the economic transitions that have taken place in Central and Eastern Europe in the 20 years since IIASA hosted a series of “planned to market” economy meetings (1990-1992).  More

01 January 1970



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Last edited: 14 March 2016

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
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