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science into policy 9winter 2014/2015 + optionswww.iiasa.ac.at iiasa research UN Climate Summit 2014 I IASA made a substantial contribution to the United Nations Secretary-General’s Climate Summit through the Leadership Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), the Sustainable Energy For All (SE4ALL) initiative, and contributions to various reports. Over 100 Heads of State and Government, along with 800 leaders from business, finance and civil society, attended the United Nations Secretary-General’s Climate Summit 2014. The purpose was to raise political momentum for a meaningful universal climate agreement in Paris in 2015. Through his membership of the Leadership Council of the SDSN, IIASA Director General and CEO Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat met with world leaders, eminent experts from the Leadership Council, and mayors from many of the world’s major cities. Together, they discussed how to make the necessary long-term transformations to sustainable development, including current and future initiatives, to make cities as sustainable and climate-friendly as possible. “Listening to the Heads of State in the General Assembly Hall, I was particular struck by how many IIASA initiatives were linked to countries’ action plans,” said Kabat. “For  example, the United States has played a key role in new initiatives from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) on reducing black carbon and methane emissions from agriculture and the oil and gas industry. IIASA’s work was key in establishing the CCAC.” On 23 September IIASA Deputy Director General Nebojsa Nakicenovic gave the opening speech at the SE4ALL policy session on how much energy efficiency can contribute to a sustainable energy future. Nakicenovic and two IIASA researchers were key authors on a new report on climate solutions, commissioned by the Alliance of Small  Island States that was launched at the Summit. Many members of the Alpbach–Laxenburg Group—a reflection group striving to create new narratives for sustainable development—also made important contributions to the Climate Summit. These included: Peter Bakker, Robbert  Dijkgraaf, Tarja Halonen, Rajendra K. Pachauri, Mary Robinson, and Jeffrey Sachs. IS Further info www.iiasa.ac.at/news/UN-ClimateSummit-14 Global science advisors share knowledge A global summit in New Zealand brought together top science advisers from around  the world to discuss the latest improvements in the process of bringing science into decision-making. IIASA Director General and CEO Pavel Kabat spoke about the Institute’s successes and lessons learned from years of providing science advice on an international level. www.iiasa.ac.at/events/auckland-14 Population policy for the 21st  century Population polices for sustainable development should move away from a  narrow focus on fertility rates and reproductive health services and instead focus more comprehensively on human capital, including education and health, argues Wolfgang Lutz, director of IIASA’s World Population Program, in an article in the  journal Population and Development Review. The publication came out just prior to a UN special session which set the agenda on global population policy beyond 2014. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/pop-pol-14 Science, media, and democracy in  the EU On 25 September IIASA Director General and  CEO Pavel Kabat spoke at the European  Intersectoral Summit on Research  and Innovation. The  summit brought together science and  policy leaders to focus on citizen engagement in  science in Europe and on  how to create dialogue between governments and the  public. www.iiasa.ac.at/events/eisri-14 Austrian climate report Climate change has arrived in Austria—and for the first time, a major report has assessed its likely impacts on a nationwide scale. IIASA coordinated the rigorous review process, which involved more than 200 researchers, following the model of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report shows that temperatures are rising in Austria faster than the global average, with potentially major impacts on  the environment and economy; it  suggests that Austria’s current mitigation efforts fall  short of those necessary to meet  global  climate targets. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/austria-climate-14