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Stockholm Environment Institute

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Areas of expertise & Fields of activity:	Sustainable Development: Agriculture Atmosphere Biodiversity Climate change Consumption and production patterns Disaster management and vulnerability Energy Freshwater Information for decision-making and participation Integrated decision-making Poverty Protecting and managing the natural resources Rural Development Sanitation Science Sustainable development for Africa Sustainable development in a globalizing world
Geographic scope:	International
Country of activity:	Sweden Colombia Thailand United States of America United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Estonia Kenya
Millennium Development Goals:	Ensure environmental sustainability Develop global partnership for development
Mission statement:	SEI's mission is to support decision-making and induce change towards sustainable development around the world by providing integrative knowledge that bridges science and policy in the field of environment and development. SEI’s belief is that scientific insights can guide us through change and should inform decision making and public policy, but also that local knowledge and values are crucial in building sustainable lives. Our approach is highly collaborative, and stakeholder involvement has always been at the heart of SEI’s work. Our projects help to build capacity and strengthen institutions to equip our partners for the long-term. Our researchers tackle overarching issues like climate change, energy systems transitions, vulnerability and governance, as well as specific problems such as water resources management and air pollution mitigation. SEI is an innovator, and has consistently shown the vision to confront issues before they enter the mainstream: our pioneering work on renewable energy and sustainable sanitation has its roots in the early days of the Institute. From its inception, SEI has adopted a systems approach; looking at the interlinked complexity of a problem, rather than addressing issues in isolation. The Polestar global scenario approach, which mapped out how energy, water, food and material flow systems interact currently and in the future, is an early example of this thinking. Polestar led to the formation of the Global Scenario Group which has produced a number of globally significant pieces of work, such as Bending the Curve and Branch Points, and is still contributing to the UNEP Global Environmental Outlook. SEI’s initial research programme dealt with pioneering projects on climate change, energy systems, agro-biotechnology and biosafety, water resources, common property and urban environment. SEI’s early climate change research was carried out with a network of specialists called the Advisory Group on Greenhouse Gases. It launched a breakthrough report on global warming in the autumn of 1990, quickly generating major interest and catalysing the formation of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Our involvement in climate change research led to a pan-African assessment of capacity for participation in the UNFCCC negotiations, studies on climate change adaptation in India and strategic studies on energy policies. In 1990-91 the planning of Agenda 21 and the UN Commission on Environment and Development in Rio (1992) became major components of SEI’s work. The Biotechnology Advisory Commission was set up as a neutral body to provide advice to developing countries about biosafety issues relating to agro-biotechnology. This Commission pioneered the work around biosafety and identified priorities for capacity building activities in developing countries. The BioEarn Programme in East Africa grew from this initiative in 1999 and is still operational today, but its coordination has now been transferred “out” to an African-based organization. SEI was established as a global institute with research centres in the UK and US. Since then the Institute has grown organically to include research centres in the Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. From these centres we work closely with the local academic communities to draw upon their expertise and to help develop their research capacity. Our research centers give the Institute access to local and regional decision makers (and an understanding of their decision making context), providing a solid base for stakeholder engagement and policy advice that is grounded in the region. Our projects help to build capacity and strengthen institutions to equip our partners for the long-term.
Year established:	1989
Year of registration:	1996
Organizational structure:	SEI is an independent international research institute, engaged in environment and development issues at local, national, regional and global policy levels. The Institute was formally established in 1989 by the Swedish Government. Since then SEI has established a reputation for rigorous and objective scientific analysis to support policy change for sustainable development around the world. SEI was conceived following the publication of the Brundtland Report, Our Common Future, prepared by the World Commission on Environment and Development. The report brought the concept of sustainable development into the mainstream and SEI was given an open mandate to explore and discover methods to help equip the world with new and innovative ways to tackle this challenge. SEI has around 250 employees. The headquarters are in Stockholm, but SEI maintains a global distributed structure, with Centers in York, Boston, Seattle, Davis, Nairobi, Oxford, Bangkok, Tallinn and Bogotá. We combine the qualities of: • a non-profit and non-partisan research institute • an honest broker in handling complex environmental, developmental and social issues • a research institute committed to rigorous and objective scientific analysis to support improved policymaking • an agent for change that promotes transitions to a more sustainable world. To effectively take on the next decade’s key environment and development challenges SEI’s research is grouped into four integrated themes that tackle overarching issues like climate change, energy systems, vulnerability and governance, as well as specific problems such as water resources and air pollution. Common to all themes, we have identified four linked fields of activity: • Analysing pathways of biophysical and behavioural transformation by understanding the technical, social and ecological processes underlying systems change • Understanding the governance of change and the ways in which states and civil society interact and deploy processes and instruments to steer change • Providing the technical tools needed to advance problem-solving capacities in different societies • Developing analysis, capacity and networks to support policy making and implementation Each Theme works across North and South contexts, across science, policy engagement and capacity building, and across social and natural-science disciplines. Managing environmental systems Growing populations, rapid urbanization and increased consumption put unprecedented pressure on land, water and air resources. Our research addresses how to manage these resources to enhance food security for our planet’s six billion people, to reduce the health impacts of air pollution and poor sanitation, and to protect ecosystem services through sound management of land and water resources. Reducing climate risk The goal of this theme is to contribute to a safer climate for all. We help design, develop and implement effective and fair strategies for adaptation and mitigation in developing and developed countries, taking into account the broader challenges and policy objectives of sustainable human development. Transforming governance Sustainable development is essentially about giving people the opportunity to build resilience by providing them with more options in their lives and livelihoods. We advance new insights into good governance for sustainable development in the face of social and ecological change. Rethinking development The global economy has brought welfare and prosperity to many in the world. But it has also depleted natural resources and vital ecosystem services. Our research shows the benefits of a low carbon future and describes how we can get there. We set out alternatives for sustainable futures, from the planetary scale down to local, on-the-ground solutions.
Number and type of members:	Approximately 250 staff Academic researchers and science communicators
Funding structure:	Donations and grants from domestic sources Foreign and international grants

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