sei-pb-2016-tci-insights-for-unfccc-325720e3b07019e2.pdf

This policy brief introduces the Transnational Climate Impacts (TCI) Index, a framework developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute to measure country-level exposure to climate risks that cross national borders. The brief argues that globalization connects countries through biophysical, financial, human, and trade pathways, meaning that even wealthy nations with low direct physical vulnerability can be highly exposed to transnational climate risks. It recommends that the UNFCCC and national governments integrate these transnational dimensions into adaptation planning and finance to ensure global economic stability.

• The authors identify four primary pathways through which climate risks are transmitted across borders: the biophysical pathway (transboundary ecosystems like river basins and oceans), the finance pathway (capital flows and overseas assets), the people pathway (migration and tourism), and the trade pathway (global markets and supply chains).
• The TCI Index reveals that many countries not considered 'particularly vulnerable' to direct climate impacts are highly exposed to transnational risks, specifically noting the Scandinavian states, Germany, and the Benelux countries.
• The four highest-scoring countries on the TCI Index are located in the Middle East: the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Jordan.
• While less-developed economies may score lower on some TCI indicators due to lower levels of globalization, certain characteristics increase their TCI scores, including being landlocked (e.g., Armenia, Mauritania, Swaziland, Tajikistan), small (e.g., Fiji, the Gambia), or highly trade-dependent (e.g., Malaysia, Thailand).
• There is a significant difference between the TCI Index and the ND-GAIN Country Index; for example, 30% of the top 30 TCI countries are small European nations (including Austria, Belgium, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, and the Netherlands), whereas no European countries appear in the top 30 of the ND-GAIN Index.
• Only four countries appear in the top 30 of both the TCI and ND-GAIN indices, all of which are located in sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya, Liberia, Sudan, and Togo.
• The brief recommends that international adaptation finance be viewed as an investment in global economic stability, as industrialized countries face systemic risks to the global economy from climate impacts elsewhere.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (n.d.). sei-pb-2016-tci-insights-for-unfccc-325720e3b07019e2.pdf. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-PB-2016-TCI-insights-for-UNFCCC.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. sei-pb-2016-tci-insights-for-unfccc-325720e3b07019e2.pdf. n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-PB-2016-TCI-insights-for-UNFCCC.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=sei-pb-2016-tci-insights-for-unfccc-325720e3b07019e2.pdf |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-PB-2016-TCI-insights-for-UNFCCC.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitutendseipb2016tciinsightsforunfccc325720e3b07019e2pdf, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{sei-pb-2016-tci-insights-for-unfccc-325720e3b07019e2.pdf}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-PB-2016-TCI-insights-for-UNFCCC.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }