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The researchers were able to show that a reasonable parallel increase in air pollution tax and water price, in conjunction with an expansion of renewable energies, would result in a reduction of pollution and water stress levels, as well as a reduction in the perceived level of regional trade-offs. According to Wagner, their work provides practical help in getting such policies underway. Growth without environmental pressure: The Chongqing case study In China’s Chongqing municipality, IIASA researchers working with colleagues from Chinese scientific institutions have addressed one of the most pressing global priorities: breaking the link between economic growth and environmental damage. In their paper, IIASA researchers Wenji Zhou and Bing Zhu, along with Yadong Yu from the East China University of Science and Technology, Li Zhou from Tsinghua University, and others explain how Chonqing (one of China’s major cities) has managed substantial decoupling of environmental pressure from economic growth. Their findings included that technological change was the dominant driver of decoupling, making significant contributions to reductions in emissions, soot, wastewater, and solid waste. “Importantly, we show that you don’t have to contribute more to carbon- based emissions in order to undergo economic growth on a city level,” says Zhu. China, IIASA, and a sustainable future? In a world of diminishing resources and rising demands for global action on climate change, China’s future development will be pivotal. Will IIASA continue to play an important role in this development? Xincheng Xie points to the institute’s excellence in energy, climate change, and population studies, but says China is hoping for more substantial cooperation in the future to achieve what he describes as a “sustainable and lasting relationship”. Further info: Peng W, Wagner F, Ramana MV, Zhai H, Smalls M, Dalin C, Zhang X, & Mauzerall D (2018). Managing China’s coal power plants to address multiple environmental objectives. Nature Sustainability 1 (11): 693-701. [pure.iiasa.ac.at/15525] Yu Y, Zhou L, Zhou W, Ren H, Kharrazi A, Ma T, & Zhu B (2017). Decoupling environmental pressure from economic growth on city level: The Case Study of Chongqing in China. Ecological Indicators 75: 27-35. [pure.iiasa.ac.at/14202] Hao Zhao is currently a PhD candidate at the Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He majored in agricultural ecology, and his PhD study is associated with the analysis of the food-land-environment nexus in China. Hao’s IIASA project titled, Past changes and sustainable pathways of future land use in China, employed modeling to propose new strategies for land use, food security, and environmental sustainability. “Although China has ambitious plans for sustainable development we still need overall foresight of the environment,” explains Hao. He describes systems analysis as very important to sustainability goals and says the relationships developed with top scientists and other YSSP participants during his time at IIASA made for an unforgettable experience with life-long benefits. PARTICIPANTS OF THE YOUNG SCIENTISTS SUMMER PROGRAM SINCE 2010 COLLABORATING, RESEARCH, OR FUNDING RESEARCH PARTNERS PUBLICATIONS HAVE RESULTED FROM COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN IIASA AND RESEARCHERS AT CHINESE INSTITUTIONS SINCE 2010 79 43 361 AREAS OF RESEARCH COLLABORATION YOUNG SCIENTISTS SUMMER PROGRAM (YSSP) PARTICIPANT PROFILE: HAO ZHAO Sustainable agriculture and food security Smart ways to clean up China’s air Sustainable energy future and climate change Global Energy Assessment Water scarcity Projecting changing population and human capital Enhancing disaster preparedness Terrestrial carbon management Evolution of cooperation Advanced systems analysis www.iiasa.ac.at 19OptionsSummer 2019