Page - 9 - in options, Volume summer 2015

science into policy 9summer 2015 + options iiasa research Tradeoffs in  the  tropics It’s a story that is common to the tropical regions of the world: millions of people live in poverty, in dire need of jobs and economic development. But development—whether mining, agricultural, or urban—often means cutting tropical forests that hold irreplaceable value for the planet as a whole, as well as for local environments. The rainforests of the Amazon, the Congo, and Southeast Asia are home to the greatest biodiversity on the planet and serve as a climate regulator for the entire Earth system, absorbing millions of tons a year of the carbon dioxide that contributes to global warming. Indonesia, one of IIASA’s member countries, is at the center of the development–environment conflict, and also the first focus of the budding IIASA Tropical Futures Initiative, which was launched in 2014. The project aims to link policymakers and researchers to explore scenarios for land use change, deforestation, and economic development in the specific context of the tropics. “What is unusual about this project is the interaction of partners. It’s not just science to policy, it’s science working with policy from the beginning,” says Agung Wicaksono, representative of the Indonesian National Member Organization of IIASA. At IIASA, Ping Yowargana, the project linkage officer, is in constant contact with leaders in national and local governments in Indonesia and works daily with researchers at IIASA who are currently modifying their models to better represent specific concerns of the policy partners. At the moment, IIASA and Indonesian researchers are working to produce an Indonesia-specific version of the Global Biosphere Management Model (GLOBIOM), which is used to analyze the competition for land use between agriculture, forestry, and bioenergy. The adapted GLOBIOM model, or INDOBIOM, will allow policymakers to simulate future deforestation and the impacts of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) policies on land use and economic development. The Tropical Futures Initiative developed out of work done with the tropical forest-focused REDD-Policy Assessment Project (REDD-PAC), but it aims to go far beyond forests and far beyond Indonesia. Yowargana says, “We’re looking at land use as an initial platform, but the eventual aim is to tackle all the main conflicts between development and the environment. These conflicts exist throughout the tropics, and what we learn in Indonesia we hope to apply across the tropical regions of Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America.” KL Further info www.iiasa.ac.at/tropics Ping Yowargana yowargan@iiasa.ac.at Florian Kraxner kraxner@iiasa.ac.at International Conference on Financing for  Development This high‑level conference aims to set the post‑2015 agenda for development funding. 13–16 Jul  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 7–10 Jul  Paris, France Our Common Future under Climate Change IIASA researchers contribute to the scientific discussion at this conference on global change. COP21—United Nations Climate Change Conference 30 November—11 December Paris, France World leaders aim to make a new  global climate agreement. 19 Aug—4 Sep  Alpbach, Austria Alpbach Forum This year’s forum focuses on inequality, driven by the Alpbach–Laxenburg Group, which  meets at the forum. UN General Assembly World leaders set the new Sustainable Development Goals to guide global policy. 25–27 Sep  New York, USA