Search Climate Insights Directory

This research paper evaluates the coherence of national water, energy, and agricultural policies in four Sub-Saharan African countries to determine their impact on Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus integration and energy transition pathways.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the drivers and outcomes of policy coherence regarding Kenya's transition to a renewable electricity sector. It identifies critical synergies between renewable energy investment and socio-economic growth, while highlighting significant trade-offs between industrialization goals, coal power ambitions, and climate mitigation targets. The document argues that institutional barriers, resource constraints, and power dynamics currently hinder a just energy transition.

The Manila Tool Kit, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in March 2025, provides a practical framework for policy-makers in developing countries to achieve horizontal coherence between investment governance and other policy areas. It guides governments in aligning investment treaties, national laws, and contracts with international commitments related to sustainable development, climate action, and human rights to reduce regulatory inconsistencies and litigation risks.

The 'EU Action on Policy Coherence for Adaptation and Resilience' is a EUR 2 million initiative running from October 2025 to September 2028. Led by a consortium including the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), the Berghof Foundation (BF), and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the project aims to align peace and climate adaptation policies in regions and countries affected by both climate change and conflict.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the drivers of deforestation in Colombia and the coherence of the policies designed to combat it. Using a framework based on ideas, institutions, and interests, the authors analyze how conflicting economic goals, institutional weaknesses, and the influence of powerful mining and agricultural interests hinder environmental progress. The brief highlights a significant gap between national conservation goals and the rights of local peasant communities, specifically citing the negative impacts of military-led enforcement strategies.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the policy incoherence surrounding deforestation in Colombia. While the country has a robust framework for the 2030 Agenda and climate goals, implementation is hindered by conflicting objectives, institutional weaknesses, and the influence of powerful economic interests in the mining and agricultural sectors. The authors highlight a tension between environmental enforcement and the rights of local peasant populations, recommending a more integrated, community-inclusive approach and regional cooperation to achieve sustainability goals.

This policy brief, produced by Transforma and WWF, advocates for increased policy coherence and synergies between the three Rio Conventions (Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Desertification) ahead of COP30 in Belém do Pará, Brazil. It emphasizes that integrating national plans for climate mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity is essential for efficient resource use and effective environmental governance, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This T20 policy brief argues that the global green transition is becoming unstable and incoherent due to a 'polycrisis' of interlinked challenges. It proposes that the G20 establish a multilateral framework for 'structural green transition policies'—defined as systemic, long-lasting, and general-purpose reforms—to coordinate investment, reduce policy risk, and provide concessional financing, particularly for the Global South.

This research paper analyzes the role of ideas in the 2020 Swedish public debate regarding a green economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the challenges of achieving policy coherence for the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

This research paper proposes a political analytical framework to understand policy coherence for sustainable development, moving beyond technocratic views to examine how ideas, institutions, and interests (the 'three I’s') influence policy outcomes.

This case study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and GIZ examines the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction in Germany. It focuses on the mechanisms and enabling factors required to achieve policy coherence across different levels of governance to strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change and disasters.

This working paper analyzes the connections between climate actions in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, identifying synergies and gaps to improve policy coherence.

This research paper examines the alignment between Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and national development plans in seven small island developing states (SIDS), finding a narrow sectoral focus in NDCs that misses opportunities for policy coherence and resilience building.

This special edition of the NDC Update Report examines the integration of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing the need for coherent design to maximize synergies between climate and development actions.

This policy brief introduces the NDC-SDG Connections tool, developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute and the German Development Institute. The tool analyzes 161 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to identify synergies and overlaps between climate actions under the Paris Agreement and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

Scott Vaughan's keynote address at the Ontario Climate Consortium’s Inaugural Climate Change Research Symposium discusses the urgent need for integrated climate adaptation strategies, the economic risks of non-linear temperature increases, and the necessity of policy coherence in government spending.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the policy and institutional frameworks guiding land-based wind power expansion in Sweden, assessing their coherence with environmental considerations. It contrasts Sweden's decentralized, municipality-led approach with Norway's more centralized system, highlighting the impact of the Swedish municipal veto on project development and the role of research programs like Vindval in informing concession decisions.

This research paper introduces a three-step analytical framework for evaluating policy coherence within the European Union, focusing on the interactions between sector-specific and environmental policies.

This research paper proposes and applies a quantitative methodology to measure policy coherence among Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Using content analysis of strategy documents, the authors develop a Policy Coherence Matrix (PCM) to evaluate the degree of integration across goals, instruments, and actors.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) has launched an initiative to investigate the cross-sector links between water, energy, and food (the WEF nexus) to support sustainable resource management. The initiative employs a 'nexus toolkit' combining the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system and the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) system to provide quantitative assessments and scenario modeling. The program is structured around three themes—governing, understanding, and implementing the nexus—and is being applied through case studies in Myanmar, Zambia, and Colombia to help decision-makers align sector policies and manage resource trade-offs.