IIASA

22/10/2026

👏👏 Congratulations to IIASA researcher Dr. André (Mahdi) Nakhavali, who will receive the prestigious 2027 Kamide Lecture Award in Biogeosciences from the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society - AOGS.

The award recognizes outstanding early career scientists for the excellence, originality, and potential impact of their research.

As a research scholar in the IIASA Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program, Nakhavali contributes to advancing our understanding of forest ecosystems, land-use modeling, climate change mitigation, and sustainability. 🌍🌱

The award will be formally presented at the AOGS 2027 Annual Meeting, where he will also deliver an invited lecture to the international geoscience community.

🔗 https://iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-2026/andre-nakhavali-to-receive-prestigious-2027-kamide-lecture-award-in-biogeosciences

22/10/2026

📉 Global agricultural productivity growth has hit its lowest level since the 1970s. This worrying finding is explained by scientists in a new report published by the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Initiative at Virginia Tech.

🌽 The report examines the potential of regenerative agriculture to address declining productivity rates, improve farm profitability, and strengthen long-term resilience. It also identifies research, decision-support tools, and policies that can help achieve best results.

🧑‍🌾 🌍 As part of this work, IIASA researchers focused specifically on regenerative agriculture and productivity in the EU, drawing on 30 years of farm-level data from 213 EU farming regions.

Learn more ➡️ https://iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-2026/global-agricultural-productivity-growth-is-in-decline

📷 Mikhail Starodubov | Dreamstime

21/10/2026

🌍 Every fraction of a degree matters.

IIASA researchers helped shape the latest UN Environment Programme report, with Keywan Riahi, Joeri Rogelj, Shonali Pachauri, and Setu Pelz contributing as authors.

The IIASA-led Scenario Compass Initiative also provided key scenario data underpinning the report's analysis of pathways to limit warming and return to 1.5°C.

More on IIASA's contribution 👉 https://iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-2026/new-un-report-lays-out-emissions-cuts-needed-for-return-to-15degc

The chance to keep global warming below 1.5°C with no overshoot is gone.

But UNEP’s new report shows that urgent action can still limit the overshoot and bring warming back to 1.5°C by 2100.

For that, global emissions must fall by 18% by 2030 and 45% by 2035 relative to 2025, alongside increasing CO2 removal throughout the century.

Current policies, however, put the 🌎 on course for up to 2.8°C this century.

There is evidence that change is possible: renewable energy and climate policies are already delivering emissions reductions. These successes must be scaled up quickly to bring the world to a point of return now.

Browse: https://www.unep.org/en/news-and-stories/press-release/new-unep-report-lays-out-emission-cuts-needed-return-15degc

21/10/2026

🥗 Can what we eat influence how we feel?

Research suggests that nutrition, the gut microbiome, and mental health are closely connected. The EU-funded project is exploring these links to help advance more inclusive, evidence-based approaches to mental health and wellbeing.

💬 “Complex challenges at the intersection of nutrition and mental health require approaches that go beyond traditional research boundaries. By bringing together citizens, communities, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders, we can co-create knowledge that is more inclusive, relevant, and impactful,” says IIASA researcher Dilek Fraisl.

IIASA brings its expertise in citizen science and stakeholder engagement to this international collaboration, coordinated by EUFIC - European Food Information Council.

Find out more 👉 https://iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-2026/how-are-nutrition-gut-microbiome-and-mental-health-connected
📷 Fizkes | Dreamstime

20/10/2026

New on : A folder of working papers from the 1980s. Early computer models connecting 34 national and regional economies. And questions about the future of global food systems that still resonate four decades later.

IIASA researcher Pavel Kiparisov takes us on a journey through 40 years of systems modeling, uncovering connections between pioneering research from the 1980s and the sophisticated modeling approaches used today. It's a story of how scientific ideas evolve, how unexpected insights emerge, and how decades of research continue to shape our understanding of global challenges.

🔗 https://iiasa.ac.at/blog/oct-2026/arms-food-and-nuclear-winter-iiasa-modeling-story-spanning-40-years
📷 Mark Hryciw | Dreamstime

19/10/2026

🌍 As world leaders gather at the UN Biodiversity Conference ( ) in Yerevan, Armenia this week, a new international study identifies 13% of Earth's land as critical biodiversity conservation hotspots.

The findings provide a scientific basis for prioritizing conservation efforts, directing funding, and tackling threats beyond habitat loss, including climate change, pollution, hunting, and invasive species.

💬 “Identifying areas that are home to exceptionally high levels of unique biodiversity while also facing threats from human activities provides the information decision makers need to help turn the tide on the global biodiversity crisis,” says Piero Visconti, who leads the Biodiversity, Ecology, and Conservation Group at IIASA.

🌱 By identifying where conservation action is most urgently needed, the study can help countries translate global biodiversity commitments into targeted measures to protect and restore habitats and safeguard threatened species.

Read more 🔗 https://iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-2026/13-of-earths-land-identified-as-biodiversity-conservation-hotspots

Authors: Harith Morgadinho Farooq, Michael Harfoot, Carsten Rahbek, Piero Visconti, Jonas Geldmann
Københavns Universitet - University of Copenhagen, Vizzuality, Peking University

📷 Dirk Ercken | Dreamstime

19/10/2026

🌫️ Human activities account for around two-thirds of global methane emissions, mainly from energy, agriculture, and waste, acting as major drivers of climate change.

❗ In 2021, countries pledged to reduce global methane emissions by 30% by 2030. However, a new IIASA-led study finds that current national plans could cut emissions by just 11% – a significant step, but still far from the target.

🛠️ The authors show that a 22% reduction could be achieved at relatively low cost, while reaching 30% would require nearly the full potential of existing technologies. With 2030 approaching, accelerating efforts will be crucial.

The study also involved researchers from the Climate & Clean Air Coalition.

Learn more 👉 https://iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-2026/getting-back-on-track-to-reduce-methane-emissions

16/10/2026

New on : A five-year partnership between Uganda and Austria is leaving a lasting scientific legacy, equipping Uganda with new tools, data, and expertise to monitor water quality and protect vital freshwater resources.

Led by IIASA in collaboration with Uganda's Ministry of Water and Environment and BOKU University, the SWAQ-Uganda project has delivered the country’s first nationwide assessment of river water quality, revealing that around 60% of rivers are in good condition.

Beyond the findings, the project has strengthened local scientific capacity, developed advanced water quality models, and supported evidence-based decision-making to address growing pressures from climate change, urbanization, and agriculture.

In a new article in The Science Diplomat, IIASA Journalist in Residence Lisa Palmer explores how international scientific cooperation can deliver lasting benefits for sustainable water management.

Read more 👉 https://iiasa.ac.at/blog/oct-2026/uganda-austria-water-partnership-leaves-scientific-legacy-for-water-management

National Research Foundation, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Austrian Development Agency

📷 Ferdinand Reus | Dreamstime

16/10/2026

🎙️ The Overshoot Conference Podcast is back and heading to Beijing!

As the Overshoot Conference prepares for its second edition, taking place on 24–25 November 2026 at Tsinghua University in Beijing, a new podcast episode explores what has changed in the science and policy of climate overshoot since the inaugural conference at IIASA in 2025.

In Episode 10, conference chairs Carl-Friedrich Schleussner (IIASA) and Deliang Chen (Tsinghua University) discuss why international scientific collaboration is more important than ever as temporarily exceeding 1.5°C becomes increasingly likely.

They also introduce two new conference themes:
🔹 Technological solutions for decarbonization and negative emissions
🔹 Health implications of overshoot pathways

🎧 Listen to the episode: https://overshootconference.org/the-overshoot-conference-podcast/

Watch this space for upcoming episodes!

14/10/2026

IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber joined leading scientists, Nobel laureates, and international science leaders at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Vatican City to explore the role of science in addressing humanity’s most pressing challenges.

Speaking on the future of climate change and tipping points, Schellnhuber emphasized the importance of international scientific cooperation and science-informed action.

“Humanity's future will be shaped not only by what science discovers, but by what we choose to do with that knowledge. We need a new era of global cooperation in which science transcends borders, bridges divides, and helps chart a course towards a thriving planet. This is the ambition that drives IIASA and makes science diplomacy more essential than ever,” he said.

The gathering, which also included an audience with Pope Leo XIV, highlighted the crucial role of science diplomacy in bridging divides and turning scientific knowledge into collective action.

Read more 🔗 https://iiasa.ac.at/news/oct-2026/iiasa-director-general-joins-leading-scientists-at-vatican-to-discuss-future-of
📷 Vatican media