Global Problem Areas

The main global problem areas being researched at IIASA – energy and climate change, food and water, and poverty and equity – are among the greatest challenges facing humanity today

hands upturned to sky

hands upturned to sky

IIASA's 2011-2020 Research Plan focuses on identifying solutions to the three major global problems, which were selected on the basis of following criteria:

  • The importance and urgency of the problem on the global agenda
  • The priority attached by IIASA's National Member Organizations to resolving a particular problem 
  • The capacity of IIASA research to identify a workable solution to the problem 

At the heart of IIASA's research agenda are the following three global problem areas:

Energy and Climate Change

IIASA's integrated approach to energy and climate change is demonstrating the remarkable benefits of tackling related research problems simultaneously. More

Food and Water

IIASA research concentrates on solution-oriented approaches within the following four integrative research themes: food security, integrated watershed management, optimizing multiple uses of terrestrial ecosystem services, and safeguarding sustainable seafood and aquatic ecosystems. More

Poverty and Equity

IIASA research investigates the drivers of poverty and inequality, their impacts on human well-being and the environment, and the impacts of policies and general development on the poor and most vulnerable. More



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Last edited: 05 April 2016

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Phone: (+43 2236) 807 0 Fax:(+43 2236) 71 313