Search Climate Insights Directory

This 2008 report by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the multifaceted relationship between Ghana and the People's Republic of China, focusing on political ties, development assistance, trade, and foreign direct investment. It highlights China's role in addressing Ghana's infrastructure gaps in energy and telecommunications while noting the challenges posed by Chinese cost-competitiveness to local Ghanaian manufacturers.

This 2008 report by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the economic impact of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) on the North-South Corridor between South Africa and Zimbabwe, specifically focusing on the Beit Bridge border crossing and Durban port. The study identifies administrative and trade policy barriers—most notably Zimbabwean foreign exchange controls and regional transport inefficiencies—as significant costs to businesses across various sectors including mining, fuel, and agriculture.

This 2008 report by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines non-tariff barriers (NTBs) to trade in Southern Africa, specifically focusing on the road transport corridor between Durban and Gaborone. The study aims to develop a measurement approach for NTBs by quantifying direct and indirect costs—such as toll fees, fuel consumption from stop-start operations, and downtime—to determine their impact on supply chain costs and overall export competitiveness.

This 2008 briefing paper argues that adaptation is a critical component of climate policy that must be pursued alongside mitigation. It highlights a massive funding gap for adaptation in developing countries, suggesting that annual needs could reach over US$100 billion. The authors emphasize that adaptation is inextricably linked to development and poverty reduction, and they advocate for 'new and additional' funding—potentially sourced from carbon levies—and the transition from isolated projects to comprehensive, country-driven national adaptation plans.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the role of 'soft components'—social and institutional investments—in agricultural water management (AWM) interventions at the mesoscale (community or sub-catchment level). Through meta-analyses and case studies across sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America, the report argues that high initial social capital and participatory methodologies are critical for the sustainable adoption of AWM technologies. It highlights a significant gap in the monitoring and economic valuation of these soft components and their long-term environmental and social impacts.

This 2008 policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the financial requirements and mechanisms for climate change adaptation in developing countries. It highlights a significant funding gap and discusses the tension between 'mainstreaming' adaptation into development assistance and providing 'stand-alone' new and additional funding. The document evaluates existing funds, the role of the private sector, and the necessity of a financial agreement to secure a post-2012 climate framework.

The Foundation Course on Air Quality Management in Asia is a self-study guide for adult learners designed to provide an understanding of the components necessary to manage urban air pollution and improve air quality. Developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute and the University of York, the course consists of six modules created by an international team of experts.

This research paper, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in 2008, provides an environmental scoping study of five key economic sectors in the South West region of England. Using the Triple Bottom Line (BL3) software tool, the study estimates the carbon and ecological footprints of these sectors, benchmarking their resource productivity against UK national averages to inform regional debates on environmental limits.

This fact sheet describes the 'Integrating Climate and Development' project in Thailand, a program running from March 2008 to December 2009. Funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) and partnered with Thailand's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the project aims to fill the gap in concrete analysis regarding the integration of climate policies into national development plans.

This fact sheet describes the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP), a software tool developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute for energy policy analysis and climate change mitigation assessment. It outlines the software's capabilities in integrated modelling, scenario analysis, and decision support, noting its widespread adoption by government agencies, academics, and NGOs in over 150 countries.

This report documents a two-day colloquium held in April 2008 by the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Stockholm Resilience Centre. The event aimed to bridge the conceptual and practical divide between resilience and vulnerability research to better support sustainable development and poverty reduction.

This guide, part of the Foundation Course on Air Quality Management in Asia, provides a comprehensive technical framework for developing emissions inventories and implementing control measures for air pollutants. It details the methodologies for quantifying emissions from stationary, area, and mobile sources, evaluates various international software tools for inventory compilation, and describes the physical and chemical processes used to control particulate and gaseous emissions.

This fact sheet describes the Resources and Energy Analysis Programme (REAP), a software tool developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to analyze the environmental impacts of economic activity and policy. REAP focuses on consumption-based accounting, tracking resource use and emissions through supply chains to generate ecological, carbon, and greenhouse gas footprints for various spatial scales, primarily within the UK.

This fact sheet describes the scoping phase of a programme titled 'Building Long-Term Capacity for Managing and Adapting to Climate Change in Asia and Africa', funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and partnered with Global Change Systems for Analysis, Research and Training (START). The initiative aims to enhance the capacity of universities, research institutes, government, industry, and NGOs in selected least developed countries to manage risks associated with climate variability and change.

This 2008 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute, commissioned by the Environment Agency, analyzes the carbon footprint of the housing sector in the Leeds City Region (LCR). It evaluates the feasibility of meeting a target of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, specifically identifying the measures needed to reduce CO2e emissions by 38 million tonnes between 2010 and 2026.

This policy brief, based on a 2008 study commissioned by the Rockefeller Foundation, examines the integration of climate change model information into agricultural decision-making in Africa. It identifies a significant gap between climate science producers and agricultural users, noting that vulnerability is driven by poverty, lack of infrastructure, and natural resource dependence. The document advocates for 'anticipatory adaptation' and the creation of multi-disciplinary platforms to bridge the communication gap between scientists and practitioners.

The report finds that Wales' 2003 ecological footprint was 5.16 gha per person, the lowest in the UK, but grew by 1.5% annually between 1990 and 2003. Housing, food, and transport account for 63% of this footprint. While planned policies may stabilize the footprint by 2020, substantial reductions require expanded measures: retrofitting 5% of housing annually, implementing Sustainable Travel Towns in all urban areas over 10,000 people, and reducing food waste by one sixth. Such a package could reduce the total ecological footprint by 6.6% by 2020, avoiding a projected 22% increase based on historical trends.

This fact sheet describes weADAPT, a collaborative platform launched in June 2007 to support climate adaptation through knowledge sharing, innovative tools, and data. The initiative is funded by UNEP and UNITAR and involves a network of partners including the Stockholm Environment Institute and the University of Cape Town.

A fact sheet from the World Resources Institute detailing fossil fuel and non-fossil energy consumption trends in the Southeast between 1997 and 2006.

A report by Rabobank and the World Resources Institute analyzing the drivers of global water scarcity and the potential for private investment in agricultural water-use efficiency technologies.