Climate, Environmental and Resource Economics

The transformation to a sustainable and climate-neutral economy and society is one of the greatest challenges of our time. The Research Group supports the necessary processes through the development of methods and models, the creation of databases, the development of scientific expertise and evidence-based communication to the public and in scientific dialogue.

In addition to analysing options and pathways for achieving the climate goals, the Research Group addresses topics such as environmental technologies and environmental innovations, questions of sustainable consumption, sustainable production, sustainable waste and resource management, and wealth measurement. The transformation of the energy system through disruptive technologies and the organisation of markets are also the subject of research, as is the bioeconomy with a focus on agriculture and forestry and the associated value chains.

Decision-makers in Austria and the European Union are the most important target group of the Research Group's scientific expertise. The results of the work are based not only on quantitative models and econometric methods, but also on detailed knowledge of the markets studied and the policies that influence or control them. Complex questions are always answered in an integrative manner by not only presenting economic results, but also determining distributional effects and environmental indicators. In many cases, there is close collaboration with other institutes whose focus is in the technical or natural sciences.

WIFO Reports on Austria
29.09.2025
Finalization: September 2025
Specialist publication: WIFO Reports on Austria
JEL-Codes: E32, E66, Q18
WIFO-Monatsberichte
24.09.2025
Finalization: September 2025
Specialist publication: WIFO-Monatsberichte
WIFO-Monatsberichte
24.09.2025
Special Topic: The Role of Grid-scale Battery Storage in the Energy Transition
Finalization: September 2025
Specialist publication: WIFO-Monatsberichte
JEL-Codes: Q15, Q41, Q42, Q43, Q54, L94
WIFO-Monatsberichte
24.09.2025
Finalization: September 2025
Specialist publication: WIFO-Monatsberichte
JEL-Codes: E32, E66, Q18
Project
Ongoing project since: 16.12.2024
Contractor project: Austrian Economic Chamber, Association for Building, Materials and Ceramic Industries
24.04.2025
8:30-14:00
Insight into Economic Research
Austrian Institute of Economic Research, Vienna
FutuRes-PV Stakeholder Workshop: Discussion of Characteristics of Austrian Prosumers with Key Stakeholders
06.03.2025
WIFO Associate Stefan Schleicher was also Honoured by the Magazine Businessart
05.12.2024
WIFO, AIT and e-think Analyse the Distributional Dimension of the Energy Transition in the Area of Space Heating and Cooling
27.11.2024
Discussion of the Effects of a Decarbonisation of Residential Buildings and Passenger Transport with Key Stakeholders
25.06.2024
FutuRes-PV: Analysis of the Future Development of the Use of Photovoltaics in Austrian Households
19.12.2023
Hagelversicherung Awards Prize for Outstanding Dissertations at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
01.12.2023
Austrian Society of Agricultural Economics Awarded the Doctoral Thesis
18.10.2023
WIFO Study: Austria's Public Demand Causes around 19 Million Tons of CO2 per Year Worldwide
23.06.2023
Macroeconomics and Public Finance
Labour Economics, Income and Social Security
Industrial, Innovation and International Economics
Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis