International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

About: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis is a nonprofit organization based out in Laxenburg, Austria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Greenhouse gas. The organization has 1369 authors who have published 5075 publications receiving 280467 citations. The organization is also known as: IIASA.

Changes in valued "Capacities" of soils and sediments as indicators of nonlinear and time-delayed environmental effects.

Abstract: This paper discusses the buffering, oxygen-donating, and sorption capacities of soils and sediments as an inter-connected system for regulating the retention and release of chemical pollutants. In this context, the author discusses the chemical conditions under which sediments may serve as a source or a sink for toxic materials, and conditions under which soils may retain or release them. It is demonstrated that nonlinear, time-delayed ecological transformations in soils and sediments often can be understood in terms of the interlinked system. The author discusses some possible future long-term environmental problems that might beset Europe, and some implications for a monitoring strategy for foresseing such problems. Because the release of adsorbed toxic chemicals from heavily polluted sediments and soils can occur suddenly owing to changes in oxygen status (i.e., redox potential) or acidity, strategies for preventing the long-term release of such materials should not only consider current conditions of pH and redox potential, but also, how those conditions might change in the future.

On the notion of political feasibility

Abstract: In a positive, as opposed to a normative or prescriptive, approach to policy analysis, the critical examination of the conditions of feasibility of public policies assumes paramount importance. A proposal is feasible if it satisfies all relevant constraints. But while the notion of economic or technical feasibility can be explicated by pointing to the corresponding constraints, "political feasibility" is generally used in a much less precise sense; and lack of conceptual precision severely restricts its analytical usefulness. For instance, questions of political feasibility are often confused with considerations of political costs or of political opportunity. I argue that the analyst should always be prepared to translate a judgment of political feasibility or infeasibility in terms of the specific political constraints operating in the problem under consideration. In this paper, three main groups of political constraints are considered: those resulting from the limitation of the available political resources; those relating to the permissible distribution of the benefits and costs of a policy (distributional constraints); and those imposed by the institutional framework.

Energy systems transformation

Abstract: The contemporary industrial metabolism is not sustainable. Critical problems arise at both the input and the output side of the complex: Although affordable fossil fuels and mineral resources are declining, the waste products of the current production and consumption schemes (especially CO2 emissions, particulate air pollution, and radioactive residua) cause increasing environmental and social costs. Most challenges are associated with the incumbent energy economy that is unlikely to subsist. However, the crucial question is whether a swift transition to its sustainable alternative, based on renewable sources, can be achieved. The answer requires a deep analysis of the structural conditions responsible for the rigidity of the fossil-nuclear energy system. We argue that the resilience of the fossil-nuclear energy system results mainly from a dynamic lock-in pattern known in operations research as the “Success to the Successful” mode. The present way of generating, distributing, and consuming energy—the largest business on Earth—expands through a combination of factors such as the longevity of pertinent infrastructure, the information technology revolution, the growth of the global population, and even the recent financial crises: Renewable-energy industries evidently suffer more than the conventional-energy industries under recession conditions. Our study tries to elucidate the archetypical traits of the lock-in pattern and to assess the respective importance of the factors involved. In particular, we identify modern corporate law as a crucial system element that thus far has been largely ignored. Our analysis indicates that the rigidity of the existing energy economy would be reduced considerably by the assignment of unlimited liabilities to the shareholders.

Assessing evolutionary consequences of size-selective recreational fishing on multiple life-history traits, with an application to northern pike (Esox lucius)

Abstract: Despite mounting recognition of the importance of fishing-induced evolution, methods for quantifying selection pressures on multiple adaptive traits affected by size-selective harvesting are still scarce. We study selection differentials on three life-history traits—reproductive investment, size at maturation, and growth capacity—under size-selective exploitation of northern pike (Esox lucius L.) with recreational-fishing gear. An age-structured population model is presented that accounts for the eco-evolutionary feedback arising from density-dependent and frequency-dependent selection. By introducing minimum-length limits, maximum-length limits, and combinations of such limits (resulting in harvestable-slot length limits) into the model, we examine the potential of simple management tools for mitigating selection pressures induced by recreational fishing. With regard to annual reproductive investment, we find that size-selective fishing mortality exerts relatively small positive selection differentials. By contrast, selection differentials on size at maturation are large and consistently negative. Selection differentials on growth capacity are often large and positive, but become negative when a certain range of minimum-length limits are applied. In general, the strength of selection is reduced by implementing more stringent management policies, but each life-history trait responds differently to the introduction of specific harvest regulations. Based on a simple genetic inheritance model, we examine mid- and long-term evolutionary changes of the three life-history traits and their impacts on the size spectrum and yield of pike. Fishing-induced evolution often reduces sizes and yields, but details depend on a variety of factors such as the specific regulation in place. We find no regulation that is successful in reducing to zero all selection pressures on life-history traits induced by recreational fishing. Accordingly, we must expect that inducing some degree of evolution through recreational fishing is inevitable.