László Pintér is a Senior Fellow with IISD and Professor and Acting Head of Department with the Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy at the Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary. At CEU he lectures on sustainable development and global transitions, adaptation and resilience and socio-ecological systems at the graduate level. Prior to joining the faculty of CEU in 2010 he had been working full time with IISD since 1994, serving as Director of IISD’s Measurement and Assessment Program between 2003 and 2010.
Dr. Pintér has done extensive work on sustainable development goals and indicators, strategies, integrated assessment, sustainability reporting and synthetic global outlooks. Currently he also works, among others, on vulnerability and adaptation to high-end climate change through the EU-funded IMPRESSIONS project and on understanding the role and potential of nature based solutions in urban sustainability transformations through the NATURVATION project. He brings a mentality strongly rooted in systems-thinking, stakeholder engagement and a strategic, solution-oriented approach. During his time at IISD he established strategic collaboration with partners such as the United Nations Environment Programme, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Environment Canada, Agri-Food Canada and the United Way. He continues to work worldwide with governments, multilateral organizations, companies and communities that seek to translate sustainability from theory into practice.
László has a PhD from the University of Minnesota, a Masters in Natural Resources Management from the University of Manitoba and an MSc in Agronomy from St Stephen’s University in Hungary. During 2000-01 he spent a year as Practitioner Fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, studying the design of the UN’s Global Environment Outlook.
All Publications
- Cities - The engines for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals
Briefing Note - June 20, 2017
Cities play a critical role in advancing sustainability through the actual implementation of solutions that bring together the social, environmental and economic aspects of development. - Indicator Preferences in National Reporting of Progress Toward the Sustainable Development Goals
Briefing Note - June 6, 2017
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are intended to offer an ambitious and transformational agenda for our common future through 2030. In this brief, we review countries’ voluntary reviews to the HLPF to identify the indicators that countries have actually been using in their reports to date, and data attached to those indicators. - Are We There Yet? Five criteria for successfully measuring progress on the SDGs
Blog - January 5, 2016
To measure progress, we need a starting point. Where are we with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? - Global Goals and the Environment: Progress and prospects
Paper - May 28, 2015
This report provides a comprehensive overview of progress on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7, Ensuring Environmental Sustainability, based on... - Sustainable Consumption and Production Indicators for the Future SDGs
Paper - March 24, 2015
The purpose of this document is to assist Member States in identifying potential indicators for targets proposed under SDG 12 (Ensure Sustainable... - Recent Progress in Applying Participatory Scenario Development in Climate Change Adaptation in Developing Countries Part II
Paper - November 19, 2014
Climate change adaptation strategies need to be multifaceted—in particular, they require stronger linkages with socioeconomic priorities.This paper... - The IISD Guide to Negotiating Investment Contracts for Farmland and Water
Paper - October 30, 2014
The IISD Guide to Negotiating Investment Contracts for Farmland and Water is a legal and policy tool for governments and communities that are involved in negotiating investment contracts with foreign investors. - Monitoring and Reporting on Sustainable Development Goals: Cross-scale linkages
Paper - June 25, 2014
Based on a mandate agreed at the Rio+20 conference, the international community has been engaged in a process to define and agree on a set of... - Capacity-Building Courses for Integrating Sustainable Development into Policy Planning and Implementation
Paper - June 25, 2014
The objective of this briefing note is to assess the current status of capacity-building efforts by international organizations on sustainable... - Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP): Targets and Indicators and the SDGs
Paper - May 2, 2014
The United Nations and its Member States are currently crafting a post-2015 development agenda to build on the Millennium Development Goals... - Building Capacities to Improve Mainstreaming of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) Into Development Strategies and Policies in the Caribbean Region
Paper - August 15, 2013
In recent years, governments have begun negotiating multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) in an attempt to tackle a growing array of... - Measuring Progress Towards Sustainable Development Goals
Paper - January 7, 2013
Building on an initiative led by Colombia and Guatemala, governments represented at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development provided a... - Seeds of Knowledge
Paper - December 18, 2012
Seeds of Knowledge presents 24 case studies from 17 countries on grassroots solutions to the impacts of climate change.These solutions come at a... - Training Module - Achieving National and Sectoral Development Priorities: The use of integrated environmental assessment tools for improved MEA implementation
Paper - January 31, 2012
This training module presents integrated environmental assessment (IEA) tools that can generate win-win scenarios for achieving national... - Participatory scenario development for climate change adaptation
Paper - May 14, 2011
There is a growing number of studies on the impacts of climate change and potential adaptation options.However, these studies commonly fall short... - Prospects for Mainstreaming Ecosystem Goods and Services in International Policies
Book - August 25, 2010
This study shows how local delivery of ecosystem goods and services (EGS) is closely linked to international policies on development cooperation,... - Developing a System of Sustainability Indicators for the Lake Balaton Region
Paper - April 27, 2010
Lake Balaton has a long history of scientific research and monitoring, making it one of the best studied lakes in the world. Although this may be... - Lake Balaton Integrated Vulnerability Assessment, Early Warning and Adaptation Strategies
Brochure - April 27, 2010
The Lake Balaton Development Coordination Agency (National Implementing Agency) is a Hungarian non-profit institution and the development agency of... - Investigating Stakeholder Decision Priorities for Adapting to Climate Change in the Lake Balaton Recreational Area of Hungary
Paper - April 27, 2010
This report provides a summary of the outcomes of a series of capacity-building workshops conducted in Hungary's Lake Balaton region as part of the... - IEA Training Manual Volume Two: Vulnerability and Impact Assessments for Adaptation to Climate Change (VIA Module)
Book - March 31, 2010
In collaboration with the United National Environment Programme and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the International... - Linking Farm-Level Measurement Systems to Environmental Sustainability Outcomes: Challenges and Ways Forward
Paper - November 11, 2009
Agriculture has a significant impact on the natural environment. Several converging trends make it difficult for the world's farmers to keep up... - Vulnerability & Adaptation Work Program: Achieving sustainable development in a changing climate
Brochure - June 25, 2008
For nearly a decade, the International Institute for Sustainable Development has been actively engaged in understanding and addressing the impacts... - Sustainable Agriculture: From Common Principles to Common Practice
Book - November 17, 2007
The International Forum on Assessing Sustainability in Agriculture (INFASA) was established by IISD and the Swiss College of Agriculture in 2006.... - GEO Resource Book: A training manual on integrated environmental assessment and reporting (module overviews).
Brochure - May 9, 2007
Integrated Environmental Assessment (IEA) is defined as the process of producing and communicating future-oriented, policy-relevant information on... - Strategic Environmental Assessment: A Concept in Progress
Paper - November 22, 2006
In cooperation with the World Bank Institute (WBI), IISD developed a training module focused on integrated policy analysis. The methodology... - Use of Indicators in Policy Analysis: Annotated Training Module Prepared for the World Bank Institute
Paper - November 22, 2006
In cooperation with the World Bank Institute (WBI), IISD developed a training module focused on the use of sustainability indicators in policy... - Towards Departmental Stewardship Planning in the Saskatchewan Government: Insights from Other Stewardship Planning and Related Efforts in Canada and Abroad
Paper - November 22, 2006
The Green Policy and Integrated Environmental Monitoring Sections of Saskatchewan Environment contracted the International Institute for... - International Experience in Establishing Indicators for the Circular Economy and Considerations for China
Paper - November 22, 2006
The rapid growth of China's material consumption poses profound challenges to sustainable development in the country and the rest of the world.... - Field Testing the Draft Canadian Biodiversity Index: A Report on Applying Real Ecosystem Data to the CBI
Paper - November 22, 2006
The loss of biodiversity is recognized as one of the most serious global environmental issues. The Canadian Biodiversity Index (CBI) was developed... - Governance Structures for National Sustainable Development Strategies: Study of Good Practice Example
Paper - November 22, 2006
IISD was commissioned by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2006 to study approximately 20 countries to identify... - Making Global Integrated Environmental Assessment and Reporting Matter
Paper - May 5, 2006
How does the design of global integrated environmental assessments influence their effectiveness, and what are the lessons from this for the design... - Models and Methods of Measuring Sustainable Development Performance
Paper - March 29, 2006
Reflecting early thinking on indicator and information systems in IISD's Measurement and Assessment Program, the paper was prepared to assist the... - Sustainable Development Indicators: Proposals for a Way Forward
Paper - January 26, 2006
This paper was commissioned by the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development in preparation for its expert meeting in December 2005. The... - Environmental Health and International Trade
Paper - July 15, 2005
This paper is aimed at fleshing out the various linkages that exist between trade policy (broadly defined to cover investment, intellectual... - Sustainable Development and National Government Actions: New study identifies key issues in national sustainable development strategy process
Commentary - August 20, 2004
As nations work on meeting their 2005 commitments for the formulation and elaboration of national strategies for sustainable development, a recent... - Compendium of Sustainable Development Indicator Initiatives
Brochure - March 8, 2004
This brochure invites people to visit IISD's online global directory of sustainability indicator initiatives. At the time of publishing (March 2004... - Ten+Ten
Newsletter - August 31, 2002
Ten + Ten explores the top ten achievements and failures in sustainable development in the decade between Rio and Johnannesburg. - Sarhad Province Conservation Strategy - Indicators for Sustainable Development - Section 2
Paper - January 17, 2002
Section 2 - Integrated Assesment System For Pakistan's North West Frontier Province - Capacity Building for Integrated Environmental Assessment and Reporting: Training Manual (2nd Ed.)
Book - January 3, 2002
This training manual and the accompanying training program have been prepared to meet the needs of partners for improved guidance and training...

