A new study published in Nature Food highlights the importance of methane abatement options in slowing down agriculture's contribution to global warming. The research shows that focusing on short-term effects of methane can lead to greater emission reductions, making low-meat diets a powerful mitigation mechanism.
A new international study by IIASA reveals that rapid emissions cuts in the next few decades can avoid temperature overshoot, plateauing global temperatures around the time of net-zero emissions. This approach also yields long-term economic benefits, with projected GDP increases of up to 2% in scenarios that avoid overshoot.
A new study explores the use of Picture Pile, a citizen science tool, to contribute to SDG monitoring and close data gaps. It found that Picture Pile can help monitor eight indicators and support seven more, providing supplementary information.
Integrating food production and biodiversity conservation in spatial planning can minimize trade-offs between nature and people. The study found that joint planning processes for rural development and biodiversity conservation are more ecologically effective and socioeconomically feasible than separate strategies. By dedicating at leas...
A global study reveals that reducing nitrogen compounds' contribution to PM2.5 air pollution is the most cost-effective measure to improve public health, with a cost of $1.5 per kg of NH3-N compared to $6.9 per kg for NOx-N abatement.
The study finds that universal access to clean cooking services might not be achieved by 2050, despite progress on other SDGs. Low-income households in sub-Saharan Africa and developing Asia are most at risk of not being able to afford clean cooking.
A new study reveals that road development in sub-Saharan Africa has negative impacts on biodiversity, both inside and outside protected areas. The researchers found that roads act as barriers to movement, facilitate access to previously inaccessible land, and contribute to urbanization, logging, and cropland expansion.
A study by IIASA researchers and Chinese colleagues highlights the need for sustainable food production in China to avoid environmental destruction. The global impact of China's increasing food demand is expected to be substantial, with significant challenges facing trading partners, particularly those involved in livestock products.
A new study examines alternative scenarios and their potential impact on climate mitigation targets. The research suggests that retaining low-energy practices in lifestyle and business could reduce climate mitigation challenges, while missing these opportunities would lead to a more difficult energy transition.
A new study published in PNAS suggests that China's declining birth rate and aging population may not negatively impact future prosperity. The researchers found that higher education levels among women can lead to increased labor force participation, potentially offsetting the negative effects of population aging.
A new study suggests that keeping reservoir levels low during droughts can exacerbate the problem and contribute to Brazil's current water and energy crisis. Storing more water in reservoirs could increase precipitation and river flow, alleviating the crisis.
The study found that policies promoting comprehensive nitrogen mitigation options could alleviate hunger by 590 million people by 2050. Increasing nitrogen use efficiency in agronomic practices is the most effective strategy to reduce undernourishment while respecting regional nitrogen boundaries.
A new study improves climate change cost estimates by considering annual climate variability and persistent economic damages. This advancement highlights the urgent need for climate action to mitigate the damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
The study assesses how much energy is needed to provide the global poor with a decent life and found that this can be reconciled with efforts to meet climate targets. The researchers identified gaps in decent living standards (DLS) by region and estimated the amount of energy required to fill them.
A new study maps the location and intensity of key threats to terrestrial amphibians, birds, and mammals, identifying priority areas across the world. Agriculture and logging are pervasive in the tropics, while hunting and trapping is the most geographically widespread threat to mammals and birds.
Managing 30% of land for conservation could safeguard 70% of terrestrial plant and vertebrate animal species while conserving over 62% of the world's above-ground vulnerable carbon. The study also suggests this approach could safeguard 68% of all clean water resources.
A new study analyzes how access to modern energy services evolves over time under different socioeconomic growth scenarios and policy scenarios that meet climate mitigation goals. The researchers found that socioeconomically diverse households in different regions have distinct preferences for energy services, highlighting the need for...
Researchers explore the potential of using finely ground rock to remove CO2 from the atmosphere, finding substantial CO2 removal rates of up to 2.5 gigaton per year. Basalt powder is found to have high weatherability and can enhance soil fertility, leading to increased ecosystem carbon storage.
A recent study by IIASA researchers found that higher income groups in India contribute more to ambient air pollution, resulting in higher mortality rates among lower income groups. The study suggests that policies targeting specific emission sources could help distribute the load more fairly.
A new IIASA-led study assesses future global food security projections, finding food demand will increase by 35-56% over 2010-2050, mainly due to population growth. To prevent environmental impacts, policymakers must develop long-term measures, including stimulating inclusive growth.
The Indus basin has significant hydropower and seasonal pumped storage potential due to its high altitudes and water availability. The region's unique climate and geography make it an ideal location for long-term energy storage, with costs comparable to natural gas reinjection.
A COVID-19 tracker developed by IIASA researcher Asjad Naqvi aims to identify, collect, and collate various official regional datasets for European countries. The tracker presents data on daily COVID-19 cases at the sub-national level for 26 European countries from January 2020 until the present.
A new study proposes establishing carbon removal obligations to manage the growing global carbon debt, which could amount to 2-18 years of pre-COVID emissions. This approach aims to distribute financial flows and costs more equitably over time, ensuring a viable net-negative carbon economy.
New study confirms Russian forests have accumulated 40% more biomass than reported, with potential for 47% higher carbon sequestration. Close collaboration between science and policy is critical for adaptive forest management.
A novel energy storage solution featuring pipes and anchors could store intermittent renewable energy from offshore wind power plants. The technology offers a promising alternative to conventional battery systems with lower costs per megawatt hour.
A new study using Facebook data found that interest in vegetarianism positively correlates with declining meat consumption rates. Education emerged as the most important factor affecting interest in vegetarianism globally, while gender played a strong role in shaping online behavior.
A new project will develop novel tools and capacities to understand and manage interlinkages between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), supporting sustainable development pathways for African countries. The project will analyze multi-level governance structures and path dependencies to identify impediments and enablers to sustai...
A new systematic framework allows researchers to identify feasibility concerns in climate mitigation scenarios, highlighting the need for improved assessments of socio-cultural factors and demand-side mitigation. The framework is particularly useful for exploring trade-offs over time and analyzing enabling conditions for achieving ambi...
IIASA researchers have proposed a novel systematic scenario framework to help policymakers assess and compare climate policies across countries. The framework allows for exploration of multiple systematic scenarios associated with emissions reductions in 2050, providing a flexible approach to assessing national long-term pathways.
A new study finds that emission intensity per unit of animal protein produced from the livestock sector has decreased globally over the past two decades due to greater production efficiency. However, regional differences in emission intensities remain and are influenced by factors such as diet, grazing intensity, climate, and manure ma...
A new framework connects climate mitigation scenarios and financial risk assessment, enabling a more accurate understanding of the financial system's impact on the transition. By integrating climate-financial risk assessments into IAMs, investors' expectations can be adjusted to enable or hamper the low-carbon transition.
A new study explores how banks' expectations about climate-related risks affect the low-carbon transition. The researchers developed a model to assess the transmission channels of two main policies: a carbon tax and a green supporting factor.
A new IIASA-led study investigates the potential of polycentric governance in facilitating citizen participation in energy transition. The research found that providing citizens with options to make choices about services affecting their communities increases trust in decision makers, while also increasing awareness and willingness to ...
A new map of oil palm extent in Southeast Asia provides critical information for policymakers and stakeholders, allowing for sustainable production and forest conservation. The map's high accuracy enables calculations of greenhouse gas emissions and removals, as well as verification of official statistics.
Researchers found that without battery storage, homeowners only use 30-40% of their solar PV electricity, while the rest is exported to the grid. With a home battery, self-consumption doubles and grid reliance reduces by up to 84%. Innovative energy policies can make PV-batteries profitable, even in low-solar irradiation countries.
A study co-developed with local stakeholders explores regional water scenarios to facilitate rational water resource planning in the extended Lake Victoria Basin. The analysis suggests that water use and withdrawal will increase significantly due to population and GDP growth, coupled with climate change.
A new indicator called Years of Good Life (YoGL) assesses overall progress towards global sustainability by considering life expectancy, poverty levels, and subjective life satisfaction. YoGL differs substantially between countries, highlighting gender inequality in living conditions and life satisfaction.
A new study reveals that quantity of education does not necessarily translate to quality, and the global skills gap is widening due to inadequate measurement methods. The Skills in Literacy Adjusted Mean Years of Schooling (SLAMYS) indicator shows a significant gap between high- and low-performing countries.
The European Research Council (ERC) has funded a new platform leveraging crowd-sourced image classification to train AI algorithms. This innovation addresses the gap in current market platforms, providing users with a tailored, quality-controlled crowdsourcing experience for efficient and fair data collection.
A new study found that grasslands, a critical carbon sink, have become a source of greenhouse gas emissions due to increased livestock numbers and intensive management. Sparsely grazed areas provide significant cooling services, while intensively managed pastures contribute to warming.
A new study projects that empowering women and eradicating gender inequalities can improve societies' adaptive capacity to climate change impacts. Projections of future socioeconomic dynamics and gender inequality show that faster progress in areas like education can benefit millions of girls worldwide by 2030.
The study highlights the potential economic benefits of international cooperation in managing water resources, electricity, and food production in the Indus River Basin. By pursuing collaborative policies, countries can reduce costs and achieve sustainable development by 2050.
A new study analyzed the relationship between working life expectancy and health expectancies, revealing potential to increase expected economically active years for both men and women. However, education-specific analysis showed large differences in size of this potential among socioeconomic subgroups.
The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis assessed the climate change scenario framework, which combines alternative futures of climate and society. The study found that the framework has been widely applied in over 1,400 studies, enabling research on combined impacts of socioeconomic and climate changes.
Seawater air-conditioning (SWAC) has been shown to provide the same cooling energy as 21 wind turbines or a solar power plant the size of 68 football fields, making it a viable alternative to conventional air-conditioning. The technology can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption in cooling systems.
The study found that nitrous oxide has risen 20% from pre-industrial levels, with the largest contributors coming from East Asia, South Asia, Africa, and South America. This increase is incompatible with pathways to achieve the Paris Agreement's climate goals.
A new study suggests that coordinated international action on energy-efficient, climate-friendly cooling could avoid as much as 600 billion tonnes CO2 equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions in this century. The Kigali Amendment aims to phase down HFCs, and improving energy efficiency in cooling technologies can lead to significant elec...
A new study shows that clean air is achievable globally with policy interventions in multiple sectors, including environmental policies, energy and climate policies, and agricultural production system transformation. The required measures would also contribute to sustainable development and human development goals.
A novel measurement framework has been developed to track energy poverty more accurately, focusing on the services people lack rather than just physical connections. This alternative framework can aid in better tracking of Sustainable Development Goal 7 by virtue of its simplicity and sensitivity to diverse service conditions among the...
A new study published in PLOS ONE suggests that COVID-19 could lead to a short-term decline in life expectancy, especially in regions with high average life expectancy. The analysis found that at moderate to high prevalence rates, the pandemic could cause significant losses in life expectancy.