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he immediate consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic were frightening – a public health emergency, an economic catastrophe, large- scale unemployment, and food-related insecurities. Yet, some potential bright spots for sustainability have also since emerged, such as greater flexibility for many people with remote work, reduced air pollution, and a slowdown in greenhouse gas emissions. In the early days of the crisis, as countries around the world instituted lockdowns, IIASA leaders and others in the scientific community recognized the potential opportunities arising from strong government actions, which in a matter of days brought the world to a standstill, exploded innovations in support of new business models, and encouraged accompanying lifestyle changes. “What we saw with COVID-19 was absolutely unique. We started seeing that there were a lot of things that were very positive, that could be preserved, but also some very negative ones that we needed to either eliminate or mitigate,” explains IIASA emeritus researcher Luis Gomez-Echeverri. “What COVID-19 did was to hold up a mirror to society at large on the weaknesses resulting from our patterns of development – particularly the extreme inequalities that are often brushed under the carpet,” comments IIASA Deputy Director General for Science Leena Srivastava. With the International Science Council (ISC), IIASA moved quickly to launch an initiative to consult the best in science and practice, and to pull out actionable information that policymakers could use to cement positive changes while addressing the huge challenges. The initiative takes an inclusive and consultative approach to address four key themes: Governance for Sustainability, Strengthening Science Systems, Resilient Food Systems, and Sustainable Energy. “We realized that positive changes could be preserved only if there was a conscious intervention,” says Srivastava. “With recovery packages however already being announced, we had to act rapidly, yet confidently, to identify interventions that would nurture and accelerate the transformative changes being witnessed, while resulting in longer term systemic transformations. We therefore offset the absence of sufficient evidence from our new context by bringing together a pool of experts from different disciplines and domains.” Through a series of workshops, online consultations, and a side event organized in cooperation with the Permanent Missions of Norway and South Africa to the UN as part of the 75th UN General Assembly, the platform has engaged a diverse pool of nearly 300 decision makers, practice experts, and scientists, from around the world. It has also attracted interest from many entities including the private sector, research organizations, academia, and civil society. “What’s unique about this initiative is that it is science-based and systemic. Many others look at one particular sector, or one especially urgent item,” explains Gomez-Echeverri. The outputs of the initiative will include a series of reports with key messages and recommendations for policymakers. It will also create a new global network and community of practice that helps bring systems analysis into decision making in matters related to the response to COVID-19. After the pandemic Luis Gomez Echeverri: gomez@iiasa.ac.at Leena Srivastava: srivastava@iiasa.ac.at Further info: covid19.iiasa.ac.at/isc The world after COVID-19 will look very different, but how can we ensure it changes for the better? The IIASA-ISC post-COVID initiative brings a transdisciplinary, systemic perspective to inform transformations towards sustainability, equity, and security. 8 Options www.iiasa.ac.atWinter 2020 Science into policy By Katherine Leitzell