Center for Environmental Resources Development (ERD)

The Center for Environmental Resources Development (ERD) conducts integrated assessments of the bioeconomy (agriculture, forestry, and bioenergy), to determine approaches for protecting the environment and ensuring sustainable development.

© Phanuwatn | Dreamstime.com

© Phanuwatn | Dreamstime.com


Objectives


  • To assess the competition for land use between agriculture, bioenergy, and forestry in a systemic approach. 
  • To identify solutions for future development, resource use efficiency, and climate change mitigation and adaptation, based on best available science.
  • To inform policy makers, the public and the scientific community how, in the context of global socio-economic and climate change, sustainable development of food systems and forestry can be achieved.

To achieve these objectives, the ERD group develops and modifies the Global Biosphere Management Model (GLOBIOM), an economic model for agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

The ERD group has contributed to economic, social and environmental impact assessments and policy scenarios for various national and international organizations, including the European Commission, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank, the International Climate Initiative (IKI), the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the World Wildlife Fund.

The ERD group plays an important role in the scientific community by contributing to high-level scientific publications in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature Climate Change, and Science Advances, among others. The group also participates in a number of international research consortia, such as the Integrated Assessment Modeling Consortium, Energy Modeling Forum, Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project and Horizon 2020 of the European Commission. 


ERD Events

18 Jan 2018 - 19 Jan 2018
CO-designing the Assessment of Climate CHange Costs (COACCH) Project Kick-Off Meeting

IIASA scientists will be traveling to Venice in January for the first meeting of the COACCH Project on the economic impa... More


Highlights from past projects


Redd Plus Policy Assessment Center (REDD-PAC)

The REDD-PAC project aimed at developing technical know-how and capacity in designing efficient, effective and environmentally relevant REDD+ strategies and land use policies. 

ILUC Quantification Study of EU Biofuels

The indirect land use change (ILUC) project used the GLOBIOM model to assess indirect land use change impacts of conventional and advanced biofuels consumed in the EU.


EUCLIMIT: Development and Application of EU Economy-Wide Climate Mitigation Modelling Capacity (All Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Removals)

The objective of EUCLIMIT was to perform model-based scenario quantification that supports the European Commission in undertaking impact assessments and analyzing policy options for implementing and further developing the Climate and Energy package and other climate-relevant policies in the EU.

Alternative Futures for Global Food and Agriculture

This report develops three contrasting scenarios to illustrate alternative futures, based on several global economic models and extensive stakeholder discussions, and outlines policy considerations to help ensure that future needs are met sustainably.




























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Last edited: 19 September 2018

CONTACT DETAILS

Petr Havlík

Program Director and Principal Research Scholar Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program

Research Group Leader and Principal Research Scholar Integrated Biosphere Futures Research Group - Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program

MODELS & DATA

PUBLICATIONS

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