https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis Two new studies conclude that stabilizing long-term climate risks will require sustained net-negative carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions for centuries. Approaching the problem from distinct perspectives—legal and technological feasibility on the one hand, and economic optimization under uncertainty on the other—the research converges on a consistent message: reaching net zero is not enough. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-centuries-net-negative-emissions-required.html Earth Sciences Wed, 11 Mar 2026 16:30:01 EDT news692462702 In their piece, published in Nature Human Behaviour, IIASA Distinguished Emeritus Research Scholar Wolfgang Lutz and IIASA Senior Researcher Guillaume Marois, who is also an associate professor at the Asian Demographic Research Institute of the Shanghai University, respond to political and public concern over declining birth rates in highly developed countries. While low fertility is increasingly framed as a crisis, associated with population aging, labor shortages, and fiscal pressure, the authors argue that this narrative is based on outdated assumptions that no longer reflect current demographic realities. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-fertility-economic-threat.html Social Sciences Mon, 02 Mar 2026 18:20:08 EST news691689639 Global climate mitigation scenarios shape real-world policy choices of who cuts emissions, who pays, and who benefits from climate action. A new IIASA-led essay published in PLOS Climate identifies how these influential tools address equity and justice, with implications for perceptions of fairness and public trust in climate policy. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-rebuilding-global-climate-mitigation-scenarios.html Environment Wed, 11 Feb 2026 14:00:03 EST news689964241 A new study sheds light on how farmer-led collaboration can help create the conditions to address biodiversity loss in agricultural landscapes. The research looks at "farmer clusters"—groups of farmers working together across landscapes to support biodiversity-sensitive farming—and explores how these collaborative initiatives evolve over time, what shapes their success, and why some mature more effectively than others. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-policy-farmer-collaboration-biodiversity.html Ecology Tue, 10 Feb 2026 23:40:01 EST news689959960 IIASA researchers explored why mortality among adults of working age remains high in India alongside rapid economic growth, finding that education—at both individual and community levels—is more strongly associated with lower premature mortality than income or household wealth. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-02-income-premature-adult-mortality-india.html Health Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:18:31 EST news689347081 The International Court of Justice reiterated in 2025 that the 1.5°C limit is the countries' primary agreed target under the Paris Agreement. With record-high global temperatures in recent years, the world is firmly on track to exceed the limit in a decade or less, signaling our entry into an "overshoot" world. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-climate-overshoot-era-science-policy.html Environment Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:58:52 EST news689273881 Within the next few decades, intensifying heat waves could expose a significant share of Europe's cattle to dangerous levels of heat stress. New research maps where and how millions of animals may be affected by mid-century. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-millions-european-cattle-mid-century.html Agriculture Tue, 27 Jan 2026 10:26:53 EST news688731962 Cities are expected to track sustainability progress with data that are often incomplete, outdated, or available only at national level. New research led by IIASA in collaboration with UN-Habitat finds that citizen science could address these gaps and support nearly 70% of global sustainability indicators, yet is currently used in only 4% of cases. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-citizen-science-urban-sustainability.html Environment Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:10:05 EST news688666217 China's rising demand for cooling doesn't have to drive rising temperatures. A recent study shows how rapid shifts to cleaner refrigerants and high-efficiency technologies could cut cooling-related climate impacts to near zero by mid-century. The work is published in the journal npj Climate and Atmospheric Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-china-rapidly-cooling-demand-planet.html Environment Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:43:22 EST news688318982 A new study by IIASA researchers offers a pioneering way to understand how climate change affects people's lives over the long term. Using a global model and the Years of Good Life (YoGL) metric, the research shows that today's emissions shape future well-being, especially for younger generations. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-rethinking-climate-impacts-human.html Environment Thu, 15 Jan 2026 16:34:26 EST news687717241 For more than three decades, DHS provided vital demographic and health data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition in over 90 countries. Its termination leaves major gaps in tracking the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in low- and middle-income countries. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-global-gaps-highlight-citizen-science.html Education Sat, 10 Jan 2026 15:00:01 EST news687106817 Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder and one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases worldwide. On average, one in ten adults is affected. The number of people living with diabetes continues to rise, posing an increasing challenge for health care systems and entire economies. A new study reveals the global and national economic costs of diabetes and offers strategies to reduce them. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-01-diabetes-global-economy-trillions.html Diabetes Fri, 09 Jan 2026 10:30:40 EST news687177001 European governments worried about population decline often focus on policies to encourage people to have more children. However, a new study reveals that this popular strategy is often less effective and more ethically problematic than a simpler, immediate alternative: large-scale investment in public health to reduce preventable deaths. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-12-birthrates-eastern-europe-population-decline.html Health Mon, 15 Dec 2025 22:20:02 EST news685037765 As the world marks UN World Cities Day on 31 October—a call to make cities more sustainable—a new international study published in Communications Earth & Environment warns that the global construction sector's carbon footprint is on track to double by 2050, threatening to derail efforts to meet the Paris Agreement climate targets. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-global-carbon-footprint.html Environment Mon, 27 Oct 2025 12:08:03 EDT news680785681 Rising seas are irreversible on human timescales and among the most severe consequences of climate change. Emissions released in the coming decades will determine how much coastlines are reshaped for centuries to come. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-emission-mid-century-meters-future.html Earth Sciences Fri, 24 Oct 2025 05:00:03 EDT news680437502 A new international study co-led by IIASA researchers and Japanese partners aims to democratize the way global climate scenarios are developed. The authors propose a transparent, inclusive research platform that invites participation from scientists worldwide—especially from emerging and developing regions—to ensure that the foundations of climate policy analysis are globally representative and equitable. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-democratizing-global-climate.html Environment Thu, 16 Oct 2025 15:10:06 EDT news679846201 For the first time, a study maps safe areas that can practically be used for underground carbon storage, and estimates that using them all would only cut warming by 0.7°C. The result is almost ten times lower than previous estimates of around 6°C, which considered the total global potential for geological storage, including in risky zones, where storing carbon could trigger earthquakes and contaminate drinking water supplies. The researchers say the study shows that geological storage is a scarce, finite resource, and warn that countries must use it in a highly targeted way. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-safe-underground-carbon-storage-07c.html Earth Sciences Wed, 03 Sep 2025 11:00:24 EDT news676047302 Fluorocarbons, which are widely used in refrigeration, air conditioning, foam insulation, and fire suppression, are potent greenhouse gases. Despite international regulations under the Montreal Protocol and its Kigali Amendment, vast quantities of these chemicals remain in old equipment and products. These stockpiles, known as "banks," continue to accumulate, posing a constant environmental threat. In China alone, their emissions could add 0.014°C to global warming by mid-century, with even greater global effects. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-sustainable-refrigerants-powerful-climate-solution.html Environment Mon, 04 Aug 2025 11:59:04 EDT news673527541 Climate-related wildfires are once again making headlines as they rage across the Northern Hemisphere this summer. New IIASA research shows that addressing social and economic vulnerabilities across countries will be a key factor in mitigating the scale of resulting financial damage and emphasizes sustainable development as key to reducing climate-related impacts. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-sustainable-key-limiting-future-wildfires.html Environment Thu, 31 Jul 2025 10:34:04 EDT news673176842 Mining in Brazil does not deliver the sustained economic benefits often claimed, while informal mining is a major driver of deforestation, especially in the Amazon. A new study offers one of the most comprehensive assessments to date, combining satellite imagery and economic data to analyze the environmental and economic impacts of mining at the municipal scale across Brazil. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-exploring-economic-environmental-brazil.html Environment Mon, 28 Jul 2025 11:06:08 EDT news672919564 A new policy brief, produced as part of the LAMASUS project, highlights that strategic agricultural de-intensification in the EU could help reduce agricultural carbon emissions by nearly a third and considerably improve biodiversity recovery. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-eu-agricultural-policy-major-benefits.html Ecology Wed, 09 Jul 2025 15:09:43 EDT news671292568 Although living standards have generally improved globally over the past three decades, stark and persistent inequalities remain—both between countries and within them, particularly between urban and rural areas. These gaps highlight where efforts to reduce poverty need to be intensified to ensure that everyone has the means for a decent life. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-rethinking-poverty-comprehensive-traditional-income.html Social Sciences Wed, 11 Jun 2025 14:50:05 EDT news668872201 Wealthy individuals have a higher carbon footprint. A new study published in Nature Climate Change quantifies the climate outcomes of these inequalities. It finds that the world's wealthiest 10% are responsible for two-thirds of observed global warming since 1990 and the resulting increases in climate extremes such as heat waves and droughts. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-world-wealthiest-contributed-thirds-global.html Environment Wed, 07 May 2025 05:00:01 EDT news665759521 Can nature restoration and economic productivity go hand in hand? A new study finds that the EU's ambitious Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) is essential to achieving biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation targets and that it could be implemented without compromising the supply of agricultural and forest products. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-nature-spatial-path-sustainable-growth.html Ecology Mon, 28 Apr 2025 05:00:13 EDT news664799821 New research reveals a strong link between higher female education and lower fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Educated women are driving a shift toward smaller families and even influencing less educated peers. This new forecasting model offers policymakers valuable insights into how women's education shapes population trends, aiding sustainable development efforts. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-women-fertility-saharan-africa.html Social Sciences Tue, 05 Nov 2024 07:25:04 EST news650013901 IIASA researchers helped to identify three focus areas at the intersection of science and policy, which could foster transformative action to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their priorities include exploiting SDG synergies, modeling long-term policy impacts, and co-developing tools together with relevant stakeholders. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-policymakers-scientists-sustainable-goals.html Environment Thu, 17 Oct 2024 12:35:54 EDT news648387351 The influence of climate change on migration, both current and future, has garnered significant attention from the public and policymakers over the past decade. A new IIASA-led study has provided the first comprehensive analysis of how climate factors—specifically drought and aridity—affect internal migration. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-climate-impacts-internal-migration-worldwide.html Environment Tue, 15 Oct 2024 10:41:37 EDT news648207691 Researchers from the Advancing Systems Analysis (ASA) program recently participated in a seminar inviting expert dialogue on the role of BRICS competition authorities in the fast-maturing era of artificial intelligence (AI) and whether authorities from BRICS and beyond can cooperate on a common vision for AI in the interest of societal welfare. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-09-artificial-intelligence-brics.html Business Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:10:17 EDT news646585813 The food system is one of the most significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet, making the reduction of emissions in this sector a priority for policymakers around the world. IIASA researchers explored the potential of carbon sequestration on farmland to combat climate change, offering insights into economic effects as well as its climate change mitigation potential. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-agriculture-carbon-source-potential-sequestration.html Agriculture Mon, 23 Sep 2024 11:59:14 EDT news646311548 To address the needs of the agricultural monitoring community, IIASA scientists fused two of the latest high-quality, high-resolution, remotely sensed cropland products to produce an improved cropland map for early warning and food security assessments. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-accuracy-global-cropland.html Biotechnology Thu, 22 Aug 2024 16:22:03 EDT news643562521