Page - 3 - in options, Volume summer 2020

TOWARDS A NEW ECOLOGY GROUNDED IN SYSTEMS SCIENCE FROM AWARENESS TO ACTION BALANCING THE COST OF AGING IN EUROPE In their book A New Ecology, of which the second edition was just released, IIASA researcher Brian Fath and colleagues take an extended look at the application of ecosystem principles to environmental management. The authors argue that there is a need for a new ecology grounded in the first principles of good science that is also applicable for environmental management. blog.iiasa.ac.at/Fath-19 Despite a high level of awareness of climate change and its impacts, people are often hesitant to change their behavior in everyday life. IIASA researchers explored how people’s worldviews affect their perceptions and willingness to act, and how understanding the diversity of worldviews could help policymakers and activists reframe the discussion around climate change mitigation. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Action-20 Europe’s aging population has long been a cause of concern for policymakers, as a large portion of the population above age 65 is assumed to imply an increase in a country’s future economic burden. According to a recent IIASA study, Europe could however largely avoid the expected negative impacts of aging by encouraging better labor force participation among educated migrants and the general population. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Ageing-cost-20 News in brief Visualizing regional indicators to help flatten the curve IIASA researchers have been tracking the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic across Europe and have made available a series of user-friendly maps that visually explore a variety of demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related indicators to help inform decisions by health professionals, governments, and policymakers. The rapid spread of the corona virus prompted many countries to institute drastic measures like shutting down public spaces, schools, and businesses, in an effort to limit mobility and human interaction. These measures are based on the premise that the less interactions there are among people, the slower the virus spreads, and the better the health care system is capable of handling it – or as this effect is now commonly referred to – “flattening the curve”. As the EU is home to a large aging population, as well as considerable variations across regions with regard to economic development, different regions face different challenges in terms of the spread of the virus. The maps visualize indicators such as migration and population changes, average household income, tourism indicators, and the number of doctors and hospital beds available in each EU country in relation to confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections. “To know whether measures are working and for how long they need to be kept in place, decision makers need information to help inform their decisions. As we find ourselves in an unprecedented situation, this information is not always readily available. This project aims to help fill this gap,” explains Asjad Naqvi, project lead and a researcher in the IIASA Advanced Systems Analysis Program. The maps are compiled using selected indicators from the publicly available Eurostat database and are regularly updated to reflect changes in reported cases. The maps are available on a new interactive website that contains all IIASA research related to COVID-19. Further info: covid19.iiasa.ac.at and pure.iiasa.ac.at/16395 Asjad Naqvi: naqvi@iiasa.ac.at By Ansa Heyl 3Optionswww.iiasa.ac.at Summer 2020