Search Climate Insights Directory

This primer provides a framework for applying resilience thinking to watershed governance, emphasizing a shift from managing against change to managing for change. It identifies six core attributes for building resilient watersheds: inclusive participation, shared understanding, integration of ecosystem services, strong distributed leadership, institutional flexibility, and decentralized decision-making. The guide offers practical tools like the Social-Ecological Inventory (SEI) and social network analysis to help practitioners implement these attributes in real-world contexts, primarily within Canada.

This briefing describes a project led by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to evaluate fossil-free road freight options for the Swedish forest industry. The project aims to identify viable alternatives to diesel-powered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) to help Sweden meet its climate goals, with a specific focus on comparing battery-electric HGVs against state-of-the-art biofuel solutions.

This policy brief examines the implementation of agri-environmental targets in Sweden, focusing on efforts to combat eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. It analyzes the roles of various implementing actors, the tension between voluntary and mandatory measures, and the challenges associated with current monitoring and evaluation systems.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the European Commission's proposal for a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and analyzes its implications for Swedish climate goals and industrial competitiveness. It focuses on four critical areas: the phase-out of free allowances, the exclusion of exports, the scope of emissions covered, and the crediting of third-country climate policies, while detailing the divergent perspectives of Swedish industry and environmental stakeholders.

This fact sheet describes the Resources and Energy Analysis Programme (REAP), an analysis tool developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to calculate and illustrate the environmental impact of consumption at local, regional, and national levels. It emphasizes the importance of accounting for the entire life cycle of products, including production in other countries, to understand the full ecological footprint of consumption.

This fact sheet describes a project (October 2016 – January 2018) led by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the Swedish Steel Producers Association (Jernkontoret) to develop a "societal value compass" for the Swedish steel industry. The tool is designed to help the industry align its research, investments, and product development with its 2050 vision of producing only positive societal value, utilizing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and capital theory.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) has launched the Initiative on Producer to Consumer Sustainability (P2CS), a platform designed to improve the sustainability of international trade by analyzing production-to-consumption systems (PCSs). The initiative combines innovative supply chain modelling with multidisciplinary governance analysis to increase transparency and identify opportunities for sustainable trade practices.

This policy brief outlines a framework for reducing the external environmental footprints of national consumption, using Sweden as a case study. It proposes a three-step method to map consumption, identify 'hotspots' in supply chains (such as electronics from China and soy from Brazil), and prioritize policy instruments. The authors recommend a multi-ministerial approach in Sweden to implement approximately 60 identified instruments, ranging from tax adjustments and durability requirements to bilateral cooperation with producer countries.

This policy brief from the Stockholm Environment Institute proposes a methodological framework to improve the dialogue between local climate adaptation professionals and policy makers. It examines how the design and epistemology of case study research determine whether the resulting insights support planned, regulatory policy or non-coercive, self-organised adaptation.

This report documents a scoping workshop held in Stockholm, Sweden, from September 26-28, 2011, to plan the Arctic Resilience Report (ARR). The workshop aimed to establish a science-based framework for assessing the risks of abrupt, potentially irreversible changes in Arctic social-ecological systems caused by interacting drivers such as climate change and social development. The resulting proposal, approved by the Arctic Council in November 2011, outlines a project to identify tipping points, evaluate resilience, and develop strategies for adaptation and transformation to inform decision-makers.

This report, produced by the Stockholm Environment Institute for the think tank Cogito, analyzes the environmental impact of total consumption in Sweden and four specific municipalities: Gothenburg, Linköping, Malmö, and Stockholm. Using the Resources and Energy Analysis Programme (REAP) tool, the report compares consumption-based emissions—which include imported goods—against traditional national reporting, highlighting the significant gap between the two and the unsustainability of the Swedish lifestyle.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines consumption-based emissions (CBEs) within the European Union, highlighting that the EU is a net importer of CO2 emissions. It analyzes the environmental footprint of EU household consumption, evaluates current policy frameworks, and provides detailed case studies of Sweden, Denmark, and France to identify barriers and opportunities for mitigating CBEs.

This research synthesis briefing from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) outlines the institute's work on sustainable consumption, production, and trade. It focuses on the development of consumption-based accounting tools to reveal the full environmental costs of goods and services, the role of government and business in driving sustainable behavior, and the vulnerabilities inherent in complex global supply chains.

This methodology note describes the development of Indicator 8: Embedded water risk, a supplement to SEI Working Paper No. 2016-07. The indicator uses the IOTA (Input-Output Trade Analysis) model and WRI Aqueduct data to assess the relative water risk associated with the consumption of agricultural commodities embedded in international supply chains.

This factsheet examines sustainable urban development in nine Swedish cities (Gothenburg, Linköping, Lund, Malmö, Nacka, Örebro, Östersund, Västerås, and Vellinge) that have utilized green bonds. It highlights the challenges of rapid urbanization, such as a potential welfare finance gap of up to 200 billion SEK, and showcases specific solutions in energy-efficient building (e.g., wooden frames in Östersund), electrified transport (e.g., Gothenburg's bus fleet), and nature-based solutions for flood management (e.g., Linköping's watercourse widening). The document emphasizes the critical role of municipalities in helping Sweden reach its net-zero emissions goal by 2045.

This briefing from the Stockholm Environment Institute outlines the socioeconomic and geographic risks associated with Sweden's transition to a low-carbon transport system. It identifies vulnerable populations—particularly those in low-density areas and low-income households—and proposes a framework of transition assistance policies (TAPs) to ensure the transition is socially equitable and politically viable.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute applies the Greenhouse Development Rights (GDR) framework to Sweden to determine its climate obligations. It argues that wealthy nations must accept a 'two-fold obligation'—deep domestic emission reductions and significant international financial and technological support—to ensure the global South can develop sustainably without exceeding a 2°C warming limit.

This event report summarizes a May 2019 workshop in Gdansk, Poland, focused on improving water and nutrient governance in the Baltic Sea region. Key discussions centered on the challenges of phosphorus recycling, the role of cities and public procurement in driving circular innovations, the use of testbeds for scaling technology, and the potential for carbon farming to mitigate climate change while improving soil health. The report highlights that while technical solutions exist, market demand, regulatory barriers based on product origin, and a lack of trust remain primary obstacles to the widespread adoption of symbiotic circular economy models.

This delivery report describes two networking events coordinated by WIN Water as part of the sWASH & grow project between September 2020 and August 2022. The events aimed to connect innovators (sellers) with relief organizations (buyers) to improve the delivery of circular, inclusive, and sustainable off-grid WASH innovations in challenged regions.

A workshop report detailing how Swedish authorities can better promote Sami reindeer husbandry and ensure Sami influence in land-use planning. It identifies critical gaps in cumulative impact data, the failure of 'coexistence' as a policy goal, and the need for structural resource support for Sami organizations to ensure equal partnership in consultations.