Page - 27 - in options, Volume summer 2015

institute news 27summer 2015 + optionswww.iiasa.ac.at news at iiasa Injecting science in sustainability I IASA launched two new research projects in March, which aim to bridge a gap between science and policy and bring integrated analysis to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The new initiatives—The World in 2050, and Nexus Solutions for Sustainability— will address outstanding questions on sustainability, climate, social equity and the environment, and provide pathways for the world to reach the future we want. The World in 2050 The World in 2050 project will develop pathways to achieve sustainable development within the safe and just operating space of a stable planet. It  will bring together leading modeling teams from around the world. The  project is a collaboration between IIASA, the  Stockholm Resilience Center at Stockholm University, the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), and the Alpbach–Laxenburg Group. IIASA Director General and CEO Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat says, “This is the very first time that science will be a real partner to policy, not just a prelude to policy development or a support for decision making, but along the whole chain of policy implementation.” Technically, the modeling will start at a point where the SDGs are fulfilled and back-cast to see how to reach these goals. This will let scientists see the sustainable trajectories required for key sectors, including energy, food, population, education, macroeconomics, biodiversity, and climate, at multiple spatial and temporal scales— and discover how best to achieve them. The project will also examine the interactions among all the sectors to explore the potential for co-benefits and/or trade-offs of addressing multiple SDGs at the same time. Nexus Solutions for Sustainability Nexus Solutions for Sustainability aims to identify integrated solutions to energy, water, food, and ecosystem security in selected regions of the world that are facing multiple energy and land use challenges, and rapid demographic and economic changes, as well as those regions hardest hit by increasing climate variability and change. The project is a collaboration between IIASA, the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii says, “The Nexus Solutions project is very exciting for me because it will develop practical solutions to some of the world’s most pressing sustainable development issues, and also because it shows the importance of bringing together new  types of partnerships to achieve this.” Kabat also stresses the practical synergies involved in the new project. “Sustainable development is about integrated research and synergistic partnerships. Rather than competing for funding, we need to consolidate our financial resources to meet huge interconnected challenges within an urgent time frame.” KP www.iiasa.ac.at/TWI2050 www.iiasa.ac.at/NexusSolutions Top: A public lecture in Vienna, co-organized by IIASA, marks the launch of the projects. Bottom left: Naoko  Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson. Bottom right: Pavel Kabat, Naoko Ishii, and UNIDO Director General Li Yong at the launch of the Nexus Solutions for Sustainability Project. The 17 proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contain 169 different targets. The targets comprise a complex range of sustainable development issues, including poverty alleviation, education, and environmental sustainability. It is widely expected that the UN  General Assembly will adopt the SDGs in  September 2015. The SDGs are the successor framework to the Millennium Development Goals, which were established in 2000 with 2015 as the final year. +