NEWS

AWARDS

EVENTS

PUBLICATIONS

— News —

Assessing the impact of nitrogen flows on crops and the environment A new study by an international research team and led by IIASA and Beijing Forestry University shows that about 80 percent of African countries are confronted with nitrogen (N) stress or scarcity, which, along with poverty, causes food insecurity and malnutrition. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the study also indicates that globally, two-fifths of N used in agriculture is lost to ecosystems, with deleterious environmental effects. Read more.
UN report urges universal access to modern energy by 2030 The UN Secretary General’s Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change (AGECC) have delivered their landmark report, Energy for a Sustainable Future. Launched in Vienna on 19 May by the Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs Michael Spindelegger and Chair of UN-Energy and the AGECC, UNIDO DG Kandeh Yumkella, the report calls for universal energy access and a 40% reduction in global energy intensity by 2030, to meet climate change targets and other UN development goals. The Group, which includes IIASA’s Nebojsa Nakicenovic, will work with UN-Energy to implement the report’s recommendations over the coming year. Read more.
Workshop in Land Use Planning and Agriculture IIASA, TIFAC and the MSE hosted a capacity building workshop on Land Use Planning and Agriculture, in Chennai, India in April. IIASA staff hosted a series of lectures on: an integrated modeling framework for ecological-economic analysis of food and agriculture development; the FAO-IIASA AEZ system for spatial analysis of food and energy crop land use options; and examples of spatially detailed assessments of national strategies for agricultural development. Read more.
The impact of population change on carbon emissions Former leader of IIASA’s Population and Climate Change research Dr. Brian O’Neill speaks about the research currently underway on the relationship between population growth and decline, urbanization and aging, and energy use and emissions of greenhouse gases. The research, carried out by O’Neill, now with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and colleagues at IIASA and NOAA, provides a foundation for evaluating potential policy responses to climate change. View webcast.
A renewable energy vision for Europe and North Africa A report by Price Waterhouse Coopers, IIASA, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the European Climate Forum responds to the challenge of how to 'decarbonize' the energy sector without compromising the security or affordability of supply. The report, 100% Renewable Electricity: A 2050 Roadmap for Europe and North Africa, explores the policy and market-based developments required to meet this challenge. Listen to the podcast or read the report.
In conversation with Professor Keywan Riahi In the first in a new series of interviews with Austrian-based energy industry experts, the OPEC Bulletin speaks with IIASA’s Keywan Riahi about energy research at IIASA and his optimistic view that, with the right policies in place, there is time to ensure that our energy future is sustainable. Read more.
IIASA welcomes young scientists to summer research program Fifty-one young scientists from 21 countries have commenced IIASA’s annual Young Scientists Summer Program. The 3-month program, which runs over the European summer, offers participants the opportunity to advance their own research by working and interacting with IIASA researchers in an international and interdisciplinary environment. Read more.

— Awards —

— Events —

— Publications —

IIASA shares its research results with our peers, clients, and the public through industry and governmental workshops, conferences and events, and through scientific publications. Visit our Web site to access our recent scientific publications.

OPTIONS Magazine: Every six months IIASA produces OPTIONS, a non-technical magazine designed to provide readers with ‘feature’ style articles about latest the IIASA research and outcomes. Read or subscribe to OPTIONS. Join our mailing list for any IIASA publication.

BOOKS:

• Mood Matters: Rising Skirt Lengths to the Collapse of World Powers (Copernicus Books, New York, 2010) John L. Casti.
• Global Sustainability: A Nobel Cause: Schellnhuber H.J., Molina M, Stern N., Huber V., Kadner S. (eds) with contributions from Nebojsa Nakicenovic.
• Coping with Uncertainty: Robust Solutions: Marti K., Ermoliev Y., and Makowski M.
• The Irrational Economist: Making Decisions in a Dangerous World, Erwann M. and Slovic P. (eds) Contributors include: Kunreuther H., Raffia H., Schelling T., Shoemaker P., and Linnerooth-Bayer J.
• Making Climate Change Work for Us: European Perspectives on Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies (The Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies: Supporting European Climate Policy) Hulme M., Neufeldt H. (eds.) with contributions from Mechlar R., Linnerooth-Bayer J. and Patt A.
• Negotiating with Terrorists – Strategy, Tactics, and Politics: Faure G. and Zartman W. (IIASA PIN Steering committee).

See previous issues.