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This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute evaluates the potential sustainable development benefits of 76 Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) bioenergy projects in India, Brazil, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis finds that benefits vary significantly by project type, with on-farm agricultural residue projects offering the highest potential for rural development, while industrial residue projects provide fewer benefits. The document highlights a lack of verification systems to ensure that claimed benefits are actually delivered.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute compares greenhouse gas mitigation pledges made by developed (Annex 1) and developing (non-Annex 1) countries under the Copenhagen Accord and Cancún Agreements. By analyzing four detailed studies, the brief concludes that developing countries have pledged more absolute mitigation than developed countries, yet global pledges remain insufficient to limit warming to 2°C.

This policy brief examines Agricultural Water Management (AWM) interventions in the Nariarlé watershed of Burkina Faso to alleviate food insecurity and poverty. It evaluates various scenarios—including improved rainfed agriculture, expanded irrigation, and increased reservoir storage—analyzing their impacts on crop yields, water resources, and local livelihoods. The document emphasizes that while AWMs can significantly increase production, their sustainability depends on strengthening the existing, largely informal, institutional networks and coordinating activities across the watershed.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes the impact of international greenhouse gas offsets on the fulfillment of emission reduction pledges under the Cancún Agreements. It specifically examines the risk of 'double-counting'—where both the buyer and seller count the same emission reduction toward their targets—and how this could dilute global climate ambition and hinder the pursuit of a 2°C pathway.

This 2011 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the relationship between urban sanitation system trends in developing regions and the disposal of menstrual absorption materials. It identifies that menstrual products, particularly those with super-absorbent materials, frequently cause blockages in water-borne sewerage systems and accelerate the filling of on-site pit latrines. The report argues that menstrual management is largely ignored in sanitation design and advocates for the integration of women's needs and the promotion of solid waste disposal routes for menstrual materials.

This report analyzes the implementation of the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (RES) and Water Framework Directive (WFD) in Sweden, specifically focusing on the hydropower sector. It examines how the Swedish judicial concession system, which governs hydropower operations, creates conflicts between renewable energy production goals and aquatic biodiversity requirements. The author argues that the current system's lack of incentives and high level of distrust between operators and authorities hinder both the efficiency gains from hydropower refurbishments and the timely implementation of water quality improvements.

This report presents the proceedings of a workshop held on June 1–2, 2010, at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. The event brought together approximately 35 scholars to explore the role of social learning in environmental change, governance, and sustainability, focusing on its application across diverse contexts such as natural resource management, climate change adaptation, and formal education.

This policy brief examines the tensions between South Africa's domestic economic priorities and its international climate diplomacy. It highlights how the country's reliance on a coal-based 'minerals-energy complex' and the need to expand energy access conflict with its desire to be seen as a 'responsible' global actor and a 'bridge builder' in climate negotiations.

This 2011 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute, on behalf of the UNEP Bilateral Finance Institutions Climate Change Working Group (UNEP BFI CCWG), maps the public financial flows for climate change mitigation and adaptation to developing countries in 2010. It focuses on the commitments of four primary bilateral finance institutions (BFIs): Agence Française de Développement (AFD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and KfW Entwicklungsbank.

Economists from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) critiqued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed rule on coal combustion residues, arguing that the accompanying Regulatory Impact Analysis is flawed and biased toward the coal industry.

This research paper presents an analytical framework using the WEAP system and SALMOD model to assess how temperature and streamflow thresholds affect Spring-run Chinook salmon abundance in California, aiming to evaluate management adaptations to mitigate climate change impacts.

This research chapter examines how religious beliefs influence perceptions of risk and responses to climate change and disasters, arguing that faith can both increase and decrease vulnerability. Using a case study from El Salvador, the text highlights the difficulty in separating political ideology from religious belief and notes that while religion can improve the lives of the poor, certain interpretations of disasters may hinder sustainable development.

The provided text is a set of bibliographic references and project notes; it does not contain the substantive content or findings of the case study on sugarcane production in the Incomati River Basin.

This research paper examines the challenges of mainstreaming climate change adaptation into development finance, highlighting the risks of diverting existing aid and the implications of the Copenhagen Accord on funding and trust between developed and developing nations.

This research paper evaluates how tiered conservation strategies—combining protected areas, restrictive zoning, and incentive payments—represent four ecosystem services in England compared to single conservation strategies.

This research paper examines the determinants of adaptive capacity in the Nordic countries and Russia, noting systematic differences between industrialised states and subsistence-cash based communities like those in Arctic Canada. It highlights internal disparities in adaptive capacity related to geography (peripheral vs. central) and national differences in infrastructure and technology access, arguing for broader comparative studies across different political and administrative systems.

This document is a formal response by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to critiques of a working paper concerning Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects for adipic acid. The authors, Anja Kollmuss and Michael Lazarus, defend their findings regarding the competitive advantages provided by Certified Emission Reductions (CER) revenues and the resulting risk of carbon leakage.

This research paper explores the application of global equity and "burden-sharing" principles to community-scale climate action planning. Using the City of Seattle as a case study, the authors apply the Greenhouse Development Rights (GDR) framework to demonstrate that an equitable global mitigation obligation for a wealthy city would require it to go carbon "negative" by 2020, meaning it must reduce its own emissions while financing low-carbon transitions in developing regions.

This 2010 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes the integration of ecosystem-based approaches into climate change adaptation and national development planning in Belize. It identifies key climatic and socio-economic drivers of change, develops future scenarios for 2050, and assesses the current state of Belize's governance system across four clusters: institutions and networks, strategies and policies, regulations and laws, and capacity and resources.

A study in the Catskills Mountains of New York State found that near-stream best management practices, specifically exclusionary fencing and cattle crossings, reduced soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations in a treatment creek by 27% annually (34% during the growing season), though they had little effect on nitrate nitrogen concentrations.