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The study identifies a strong desire for citizen involvement in energy planning in Migori County, where energy use is dominated by biomass and kerosene. It proposes a participatory framework consisting of six key activities to move away from top-down planning and better meet local energy needs.

The paper applies an adapted Economics of Low Carbon development strategies for Cities (ELCC) framework to Bologna, Italy, to prioritize domestic water efficiency measures. It finds that an investment of €17 million in five cost-effective measures could reduce domestic water consumption by 34% by 2020, generating €10.2 million in annual savings. A further investment of €28.5 million could increase the total water reduction to 37%.

The study finds that ethanol produced from cane molasses in Indonesia results in a 67% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to gasoline, with emissions estimated at 29 gCO2e per MJ. While the Net Energy Value is -7 MJ/l, the Net Renewable Energy Value is 17.7 MJ/l and the energy yield ratio is 6.1. The analysis indicates that results are highly sensitive to molasses price, ethanol yield, and sugarcane yield, and suggests that energy and environmental gains can be improved through biogas recovery from wastewater and surplus bioelectricity generation via efficient cogeneration using sugarcane biomass residues.

A systematic review of scientific literature on bioenergy production and sustainable development reveals a limited evidence base for policy-making, with research concentrated in a few countries and focused primarily on agricultural biomass plantations. While economic and technological impacts are often reported as positive, social and environmental impacts tend to be negative, except for the direct substitution of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels.

The document assesses research on urban transport pricing and regulation, noting a gap in understanding how these policies affect land use and the wider urban economy compared to their impact on traffic. It argues that the most urgent research need is the design of consistently structured policy packages that are financially sustainable and politically acceptable.

The document details the impact of SUMERNET's research projects across the Mekong Region, focusing on flood risk reduction, urbanization, green tourism, forest conservation, and water governance. It highlights the network's growth from 14 to over 60 institutes and its shift toward cross-border collaboration and 'Outcome Mapping' to ensure research findings influence policy and improve local livelihoods.

This background report for the BLASTIC project identifies and classifies land-based sources and pathways of macroplastic marine litter (>25 mm). It emphasizes that approximately 80% of marine litter originates from land, with a particular focus on urban areas. The document proposes a framework for municipalities to map litter sources—such as recreation, general littering, waste treatment, and industrial activities—and their corresponding pathways (human direct dumping, wind, and water) to facilitate the creation of local abatement measures.

The document evaluates an ecosan project in El Alto, Bolivia, which installed 897 sanitation units, including urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDTs), for approximately 4,489 people. The study found a statistically significant reduction in diarrhoeal disease overall, though the impact was smaller for households with lower socioeconomic status. Key barriers to success included irregular waste collection, age-related sociocultural differences in toilet adoption, and a lack of user knowledge regarding the specific health links between hygiene practices and pathogen exposure.

The 'Hållbara Hökarängen' project (2012-2015) demonstrated that sustainable urban development is most effective when it leverages local socio-demographic contexts and focuses on activities where residents have direct influence, such as urban gardening and communal cooking, rather than technical energy issues. The project utilized action research, a diverse communication strategy, and the creation of 'Local Sustainability Ambassadors' to foster long-term behavioral change and social cohesion. While a parallel investment program by Stockholmshem reduced heat energy consumption by over 30% per square meter compared to 2007, the behavioral project found that engagement was highest for 'lustful' activities and resource efficiency rather than residential energy use, where tenants had limited control.

The document assesses the progress of Germany's Energiewende, noting that while renewable energy shares have grown, coal still provided 42% of power production in 2015. It highlights the economic tension between the 'big four' utilities and decentralized renewables, the social and political challenges of phasing out hard coal and lignite, and the influence of industry unions in blocking a proposed climate levy on power plants in favor of a capacity reserve.

The document argues that while affordability and aspirational appeal drive the initial purchase of advanced cookstoves, long-term adoption depends on the stove's performance and the availability of ongoing user support. Based on case studies in Kenya and Zambia, it highlights that shifting cooking habits is a complex behaviour change process requiring hands-on trials, clear manuals, and personal follow-up to prevent users from abandoning new technology in frustration.

The document analyzes the tension between the risk-management approach of the UNFCCC and the justice-based demands for compensation regarding climate-induced loss and damage. It evaluates four scientific traits—attributability, irreversibility, unavoidability, and intolerability—concluding that while science can inform risk management, the determination of liability and compensation remains a political and value-based challenge.

The Paris Agreement replaces top-down binding targets with a hybrid system of non-binding Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and mandatory review processes. Because NDCs are not legally binding, the document argues that the review systems are the primary tools for generating information and applying political pressure to ensure countries meet their commitments. The brief identifies critical unresolved details regarding the Article 13 transparency framework, the Article 14 global stocktake, and the Article 15 implementation and compliance mechanism, suggesting options for their operationalization to increase global climate ambition.

The document argues that the Sendai Framework's emphasis on multi-level collaboration, learning, and innovation aligns with adaptive governance, which can help manage the complexity of social-ecological systems. While the Framework provides a window for transformative change, its implementation faces hurdles including high operational costs, power imbalances, and the lack of a dedicated funding mechanism.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) provides scientific research and technical support to reduce human vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. Through its Initiative on Transforming Development and Disaster Risk, SEI works to ensure development does not create new risks but instead enhances resilience. The institute supports global frameworks like the Sendai Framework and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, while providing regional support to ASEAN in Southeast Asia and IGAD in Eastern Africa. SEI's capacity-building efforts include developing analytical tools (such as the BalticClimate Toolkit and RISC-KIT), hosting knowledge platforms like weADAPT.org, and sponsoring 'writeshops' for early-career scientists from developing countries.

The SEI Gender and Social Equity Programme seeks to address knowledge and policy gaps by mainstreaming gender and social equity into the institute's research and technical tools. The programme is structured around three main tasks: developing new research projects with a gender and social equity lens, adapting modelling tools like WEAP and LEAP for social inclusion, and aligning these perspectives across all SEI research and operations. Current initiatives include studying the gender pay gap in Estonia's bioeconomy, analyzing social factors in SMEs' sustainability agendas, and using agent-based modelling to simulate inclusive sustainability pathways for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SEI Initiative on Low Emission Development Pathways (LED-P) provides tools and research to help governments, particularly in developing countries, simultaneously address greenhouse gas emissions, short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs), and air pollution. A central output is the LEAP-Integrated Benefits Calculator (LEAP-IBC), which quantifies the health, vegetation, and climate benefits of specific mitigation measures. The initiative focuses on filling data gaps, building technical capacity, and developing policy frameworks to move beyond aspirational scenarios toward credible transition pathways.

The document highlights that 76% of Kenyans rely on traditional biomass for cooking, leading to significant public health crises and economic losses. It argues that while Kenya is a leader in clean cookstove distribution, large-scale transformation requires removing market barriers, such as high import duties, and regulating the charcoal sector. The brief recommends a shift from end-user subsidies to upstream value chain support and the adoption of human-centered design to ensure long-term stove usage.

The policy brief argues that while modern bioscience is gradually entering Eastern Africa's agricultural sector, structural and policy constraints—rather than technical knowledge—hinder its impact. It advocates for a 'triple helix' model of collaboration between the public R&D sector, private sector, and government, emphasizing that public institutions must move beyond basic research to act as innovation hubs that link technologies to markets.

The 'Sustainable Hökarängen' project utilized an action-research approach to promote resource-efficient lifestyles in a residential district of Stockholm. Key findings emphasize that engagement is most effective when activities are social and enjoyable—such as communal gardening and climate-smart cooking—rather than focused on areas where residents have limited control, such as apartment energy use. The project successfully established a network of 'Sustainability Ambassadors' and local movements like HOPP! to ensure continuity. While a parallel investment programme by Stockholmshem reduced heating energy use by over 30% per square metre, the community-level project found that social cohesion and peer interaction were primary drivers of behavioral change. The brief concludes that evaluating such initiatives requires a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods and long-term follow-up to determine if behavioral changes are sustained.