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The document highlights 2016 as a pivotal year for green bonds, noting the emergence of sovereign green bonds in Poland and France and the increasing use of these instruments to fund Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It argues that a green debt market of at least $1 trillion per year is necessary by 2020 to meet low-carbon infrastructure needs. Key policy tools identified include credit enhancement, tax incentives, and the establishment of official national guidelines, with specific examples of initiatives in China, India, Brazil, and Mexico.

Following the 1956 Hungarian uprising, approximately 200,000 people fled to Austria and Yugoslavia. An international effort led to the resettlement of nearly 180,000 Hungarians across 37 countries within three years. The document highlights the contrast between Sweden's rapid response, which saw over 7,300 refugees resettled by 1958, and Norway's more cautious approach, which focused initially on financial aid before resettling nearly 1,500 people by the end of 1957.

The document presents the CRAFTY-Sweden model, which simulates future land use and ecosystem services in Sweden. Findings suggest that socio-economic changes and owner behavior have a greater influence on land-use change than climatic effects on productivity. The model predicts an increase in timber harvesting and a decoupling between the supply and demand of forest ecosystem services.

The Mauritius Convention on Transparency, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 2014, provides a mechanism for States to 'opt-in' to the UNCITRAL Rules on Transparency for arbitrations brought under investment treaties concluded before April 2014. The document highlights that investor-State arbitrations often involve public interests, including policies on nuclear or alternative energy, tobacco control, and the protection of drinking water, yet typically lack the openness of legal systems governed by the rule of law. By mandating the disclosure of documents and open hearings, the Convention aims to improve democratic participation, accountability, and the ability of governments to reform international economic governance. As of January 2017, Mauritius and Canada had ratified the Convention, while several other States had signed it.

In 2016, the European power sector saw a significant shift from coal to gas generation, which drove a 4.5% decrease in CO2 emissions. While renewable energy's share of the electricity mix rose slightly to 29.6%, growth was below previous trends due to poor weather conditions, although record-low auction prices for wind and solar suggest future potential. Electricity consumption remained largely stagnant, barely offsetting economic growth. The EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS) continued to suffer from a structural oversupply, with the surplus exceeding 3 billion tonnes of CO2 for the first time.

COP23 was intended as a technical summit to establish the Paris Agreement Rulebook, but achieved only modest progress on these rules. Key breakthroughs included a first-time agreement to address climate challenges in agriculture and the establishment of a Gender Action Plan and a Local Communities and Indigenous People’s Platform. The conference launched the Talanoa dialogue to accelerate action and increase ambition. While official negotiations were slow, strong political support was demonstrated by non-state actors and an alternative US delegation. Additionally, the 'Powering Past Coal' alliance was endorsed by 28 countries and regional actors, though Germany was notably absent from the pledge.

The report evaluates a proposed wood biorefinery in Estonia with a projected capacity of 750,000 tonnes per year. Using the CEPI methodology, the study finds that the plant would have a negative fossil carbon footprint of -0.39 tonnes of CO2-e per tonne of finished product, primarily because the renewable electricity it exports to the grid replaces oil shale-based power. The plant is also estimated to sequester 1.3 tonnes of biogenic CO2-e per tonne of product. Compared to a 'zero scenario' where wood is exported to Nordic countries, the project is expected to reduce Estonia's overall greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 1.6% and increase the share of renewable electricity in national consumption to 26%.

Sweden has significantly decarbonised its heating sector, with fossil fuels now accounting for less than 5% of heating energy. This was achieved through the expansion of district heating and heat pumps, supported by carbon taxes introduced in 1991 and a pragmatic approach to shared infrastructure. However, the system is now characterised by a 'supply-dominated' lock-in, where the focus remains on maintaining production rather than reducing demand. This is evidenced by high average indoor temperatures (21.2°C to 22.3°C) and resistance to more stringent energy efficiency standards. Additionally, an increasing reliance on waste incineration has led to over-capacity and a dependency on imported waste, potentially conflicting with EU directives. The report warns that rising temperatures from climate change and stricter EU energy performance requirements will further decrease heat demand, necessitating a shift toward demand-reducing technologies and increased integration of industrial waste heat.

Sweden has successfully transitioned its heating system to low-carbon sources, with fossil fuels now accounting for under 5% of heating energy. This was achieved through the expansion of district heating, which covers over 50% of the building stock, and the widespread adoption of heat pumps in single-family homes. However, the report identifies significant 'lock-ins' where the dominance of large suppliers and a focus on production over efficiency hinder further progress. Key challenges include a reliance on waste incineration, high indoor temperature norms, and resistance from industry players toward stricter building energy efficiency standards. The authors recommend shifting focus toward demand-reduction technologies and lowering barriers for third-party access to district heating networks to better integrate industrial waste heat.

The document proposes using the Planetary Boundaries framework to define the 'global level of ambition' for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 12 on Sustainable Consumption and Production. It suggests that by downscaling global boundaries to national or regional levels and using consumption-based environmental accounting, countries can account for both domestic and imported environmental impacts. The brief emphasizes the need for continuous science-policy dialogue to ensure vertical policy coherence and fair allocation of the global safe operating space among nations.

The document explores the 'cascading' principle, which suggests natural resources should be used for their most valuable purposes for as long as possible before energy recovery. It analyzes the tension in the EU between the bioenergy sector, the forest industry, and environmental NGOs, while critiquing historical 'designated eligibility' approaches to implementation.

The Stockholm Environment Institute and the Swedish Steel Producers Association (Jernkontoret) are creating a methodology and toolbox—a 'societal value compass'—to guide the Swedish steel industry toward its 2050 vision of creating positive societal value. The tool integrates the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with capital theory (natural, real, human, and social capital) to evaluate how industry activities affect broader societal interests. The project involves cross-impact balance analysis of SDG targets, focus group consultations, and the development of a prototype to be tested through topical case studies. This framework aims to enhance the industry's global competitiveness and facilitate communication with investors, employees, and policymakers regarding its contribution to sustainability.

The document details a workshop involving government officials, Sami representatives, and researchers to address the gap between legal requirements to promote Sami culture and the actual practice of authorities in planning and permitting. Key discussions focused on the necessity of early dialogue, the recognition of traditional knowledge, and the systemic failure to account for cumulative effects of land exploitation. The report highlights a strong convergence between authorities and Sami representatives on the primary obstacles, such as resource shortages and the problematic assumption of 'coexistence' between industry and reindeer husbandry.

The Arctic Resilience Assessment Synthesis for Arctic Leaders 2017 argues that building resilience in the Arctic requires an integrated understanding of social-ecological systems and coordinated action across local, national, and circumpolar scales. While the primary drivers of change are global, the document emphasizes that resilience-building must occur within the Arctic through integrated monitoring, knowledge integration—specifically bridging Indigenous and scientific knowledge—and increasing the capacity of local communities to shape their own development. It identifies 19 instances where climate change and other drivers could trigger abrupt, irreversible shifts and proposes a roadmap via the Arctic Resilience Action Framework to coordinate these efforts.

The document argues that consumption-based accounting provides a more nuanced view of climate responsibility than territorial accounting by attributing emissions to the final consumers of goods and services. Using data from the Eora and IOTA models, it demonstrates that high-income OECD members have increasingly imported emissions from middle-income countries between 1992 and 2010, suggesting that some territorial emission reductions in wealthy nations are the result of 'carbon leakage' to other territories.

The Mistra Geopolitics programme, running from 2017 to 2020, is an interdisciplinary research effort involving six Swedish core partners and international institutes. It aims to help Sweden navigate geopolitical insecurity and leverage innovation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. The programme is organized into five work packages: WP1 focuses on the frame of geopolitics and security in the Anthropocene; WP2 analyzes transnational impacts on Sweden including trade and migration; WP3 examines global governance responses to environmental security risks; WP4 explores the link between geopolitical landscapes and the SDGs; and WP5 integrates these findings through a co-creation process and foresight scenarios to strengthen Swedish competitiveness.

The document outlines a socio-technical research project under the EU Horizon 2020 TRANSrisk initiative to identify pathways for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles in Sweden. It highlights the challenges of road freight decarbonization compared to personal vehicles and examines various technological options, including biofuels, battery electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cells, and electric road systems (ERS). The project utilizes stakeholder workshops and quantitative modelling to develop scenarios that align with Sweden's goal of a fossil-fuel independent transport sector by 2030 and zero net emissions by 2045.

The report examines the conflict between the EU Water Framework Directive's environmental goals and Sweden's reliance on hydropower for approximately half of its electricity. It details efforts by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) and the Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) to create a balanced national strategy, including a proposed cap on annual production loss to define 'significant adverse effect'. The document also reviews the Water Activity Review (WAR) recommendations, guidance for identifying Heavily Modified Water Bodies (HMWBs), and proposed financing mechanisms for environmental upgrades.

The report highlights that South Africa wastes approximately 10 million tonnes of food annually, representing a third of its total production. This waste results in significant economic losses of R61.5 billion and substantial environmental degradation, including the waste of 1.7 km3 of water and the emission of greenhouse gases from landfills. The document identifies that most waste occurs at the pre-consumer stage, particularly on farms, and calls for a coordinated effort between the public and private sectors to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 target of halving food waste by 2030.

The document highlights a significant financing gap for cities in developing countries, where fewer than 20% have access to local capital markets and only 4% can access international markets. While the global green bond market grew exponentially from USD 3.2 billion in 2012 to USD 44 billion in 2015, only USD 2.3 billion has been linked to city-based projects in developing countries. The guide outlines two primary strategies for accessing these funds: direct issuance for creditworthy cities (potentially using guarantees or cornerstone buyers) and indirect access for others by aligning projects with the frameworks of multilateral development banks, commercial banks, or corporations.