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Science into policy A systems approach to human wellbeing IIASA scientists have proposed a novel systems analysis approach to represent national wellbeing, by mapping the interlinkages between several commonly measured components of wellbeing. Led by scientists in the institute’s innovative Advanced Systems Analysis Program, the new approach was published in two recent research papers. “Macro-economic indicators such as GDP have been used to evaluate economic effects of various economic policies, but to date there are no tools to support policy planning aimed at enhancing national wellbeing in a systemic way,” says IIASA researcher Leena Ilmola-Sheppard, who led the project. Economic indicators have long been used as a general measure of countries’ development, but there is growing interest in new methods that can capture a fuller picture of human wellbeing. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), for instance, collects data on many dimensions of wellbeing, both material and non-material. However, they treat them in isolation. The researchers started with the OECD measures, which include economic indicators such as income and wealth, jobs and earnings, as well as social and individual indicators like work-life balance, health, education, and subjective wellbeing. They then conducted a literature review to map how these various factors influence each other in both positive and negative ways. For example, education has positive impacts on many other aspects of life, including health, wealth, and even our ability to adapt and survive crises. By mapping the influence of multiple wellbeing-related factors, the researchers say that the approach could bring new insights to policy, allowing decision makers to identify low-cost actions that can simultaneously improve several components of wellbeing. It could also help avoid unintended consequences that can occur from trying to address one problem in isolation. Leena Ilmola-Sheppard: ilmola@iiasa.ac.at Elena Rovenskaya: rovenska@iiasa.ac.at Further info: pure.iiasa.ac.at/16330 | pure.iiasa.ac.at/16318 ONE-STOP SHOP FOR CLIMATE SCENARIOS A DIFFERENT WAY TO SPUR CLIMATE ACTION LOSS AND DAMAGE, AND LIMITS TO ADAPTATION A new online toolkit has made climate scenarios accessible to anyone interested. Developed by an international team including IIASA researchers, scientists, and designers, it allows anyone to access the full range of climate scenarios, allowing decision makers and the public to explore for themselves what is at stake with climate stabilization, and to base decisions on the best information available. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Senses-20 Although the Paris Agreement led many countries to set ambitious targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, many are failing to comply with these non-binding commitments. A new IIASA-led study suggests that an approach based on commitments to conditional emissions reductions may help incentivize countries to climate action. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Commitments-20 Within international climate negotiations, one of the most controversial issues has been how to deal with irreversible losses and damages from climate change that may breach adaptation limits. In a recent IIASA-led commentary, researchers showcased first evidence on such limits in socio-ecological systems and presented the potential, where still possible, for overcoming such limits with transformational change. pure.iiasa.ac.at/16457 9Optionswww.iiasa.ac.at Winter 2020 By Katherine Leitzell