Page - 2 - in options, Volume summer 2016

editorial 2 options + summer 2016 options Professor Dr. Pavel Kabat Director General and CEO, IIASA www.iiasa.ac.at About IIASA IIASA uses systems analysis to research the critical issues of  environmental, economic, and technological change we face today. Many of the most pressing problems of our times —climate change, food and water security, and biodiversity decline, to name just a few—are too complex to be solved by a single country or discipline. IIASA produces world-class research that integrates problems, drivers, and impacts, helping countries around the world to produce effective, evidence-based policies to tackle these challenges. IIASA produces + data, models, and research tools; + peer-reviewed scientific papers; and + policy-relevant information. IIASA helps + countries produce effective policy; + develop international research networks; and + support the next generation of scientists. IIASA is represented by its National Member Organizations in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Egypt, Finland, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam. IIASA A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria Phone +43 2236 807 0 Fax +43 2236 71313 E-mail info@iiasa.ac.at Web www.iiasa.ac.at twitter.com/iiasavienna facebook.com/iiasa blog.iiasa.ac.at linkedin.com/company/iiasa-vienna youtube.com/iiasalive flickr.com/iiasa I I A S A Working in concert for a sustainable future Halford E. Luccock, an American minister and thinker, said: “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play  it.” In fact, assembling an orchestra is not enough: all the instruments must be in tune, and the musicians must listen to each other, read their score, and  follow the  guidance  of the conductor. Tackling the global challenges that face us today requires humanity itself to  achieve  this kind of cooperation—from the highest international levels to  individuals. Last  year the UN Sustainable Development Goals—including everything  from protecting ecosystems to ending hunger—were swiftly followed  by the ambitious Paris climate agreement, which aims to limit global  warming to 1.5°C. Policies to achieve these laudable, but different, aims  must work  in concert to ensure that progress in one area does not erode that in another. Systems analysis and integrated approaches are needed to support a sustainable policy implementation process. This is the focus of several IIASA projects that span different disciplines to  provide  integrated solutions (page 14). Cooperation between policymakers  and  researchers also is crucial to this process, and in this issue IIASA researchers share their experiences of what helps to make science–policy work a success (page  20). An enhanced emphasis on cross‑cutting research is one of the defining features  of  the new IIASA Research Plan (page 4). The plan, which details the  institute’s research direction over the next five years, explicitly recognizes that  problems (such  as climate change), drivers (such as population growth), and  impacts (such  as  environmental degradation) are closely related. By using systems  analysis to integrate these facets, working closely with policymakers, and  helping countries benefit from science diplomacy (page 10), IIASA aims to  help  foster the cooperation needed to set us on the path to sustainability. The first five years of research under the IIASA 2011–2020 Strategic Plan has  had  substantial impact, shaping policy at national, regional, and global scales.  You can find more information about this in the new publication Research for a Changing World: IIASA Highlights 2011–2015. + About Options Options magazine features recent IIASA research and activities Executive editor Philippa Brooks Managing editor Katherine Leitzell Copy editor Daisy Brickhill Writers Daisy Brickhill, Katherine Leitzell Contributing writers Kerry Skyring, Christine Whitehouse Expert reviewers Markus Amann, JoAnne Bayer, Geoff Clarke, Ulf Dieckmann, Tatiana Ermolieva, Stefan Frank, Anne Goujon, Arnulf Grubler, Carlijn Hendriks, Stefan Hochrainer-Stigler, Daniel Jessie, Jessica  Jewell, Pavel Kabat, Christina Kaiser, Dalia  Kirschbaum, Zbigniew Klimont, Sylvain Leduc, Wei Liu, Rupert Mazzucco, David McCollum, Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Shonali Pachauri, Narasimha D. Rao, Keywan Riahi, Joeri  Rogelj, Elena Rovenskaya, Linda See, Stefan  Thurner, Hugo  Valin, Michelle van Vliet, Brian Walsh, Daniela Weber, Matthias Wildemeersch, Ping  Yowargana © 2016 IIASA ZVR 524808900 Prepared by IIASA Communications–Library–Media Department Acting Head: Philippa Brooks Printed by Remaprint, Vienna Options is sent to over 6,500 policymakers, diplomats, and scientists. If you would like to update your subscription preferences or subscribe to Options or other IIASA publications, please visit www.iiasa.ac.at/keepintouch. Sections of Options may be reproduced with acknowledgment to IIASA. Please send a copy of any reproduced material. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions of IIASA or its supporting organizations.