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  • Ulrika Lamberth

    Senior Press Officer


    +46 73 801 70 53
    http://www.sei.org
  • Quotes

    We anticipate a growing focus on Eastern Europe and the eastern partnership region, supporting the region’s economies in their ambitions for pathways to climate neutrality and EU accession. With Kersti Kaljulaid on the Board, this will enhance SEI’s role and opportunities. We also aim to further enhance our scientific excellence and our ability to evaluate and learn from our work. These are domains where Professor Mickwitz will add considerable value.
    Måns Nilsson, SEI's Executive Director
    The call to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems is a significant acknowledgement that has been much needed for some time, but the outcome as a whole includes several conditions that may slow down the phase-out of fossil fuels. What really matters now is how countries choose to act on this outcome in their national policies.
    Åsa Persson, Research Director and Deputy Director SEI
    The science is clear that consumption and production of conventional meat and dairy needs to come down globally, with richer countries taking the lead. Existing approaches have not delivered change at the scale and speed necessary. This first-of-a-kind UN report suggests that novel meat and dairy alternatives can play an important role in supporting a transition towards a more sustainable and healthier food system.
    Cleo Verkuijl, Stockholm Environment Institute and Harvard Law School and one of the Lead Authors of the report.
    Many countries are importing the same commodities, via the same trading companies, from the same producing countries - and often the same deforestation hotspots. The field is ripe for them to collaborate on pushing importers to include action on deforestation at the heart of their sourcing practices, including through legislative and policy frameworks.
    Dr Carina Mueller, Research Fellow at the Stockholm Environment Institute
    LeadIT and the secretariat welcome the partnership and look forward to supporting the collaboration to unlock green industrial projects in sectors such as steel and cement. This partnership will be a key part of the future work of LeadIT as our members push the frontiers of the green industry transition forward to achieve net-zero emissions from industry by 2050.
    Per Andersson, LeadIT Head of Secretariat
    Governments are literally doubling down on fossil fuel production; that spells double trouble for people and planet. We cannot address climate catastrophe without tackling its root cause: fossil fuel dependence. COP28 must send a clear signal that the fossil fuel age is out of gas — that its end is inevitable. We need credible commitments to ramp up renewables, phase out fossil fuels, and boost energy efficiency, while ensuring a just, equitable transition.
    UN Secretary-General António Guterres
    Southern Africa has an incredible wealth of biodiversity, and edible insects present a fantastic opportunity for sustainable food production. By expanding our efforts to empower women and youth, we hope to create a thriving insect-based food industry that can make a significant positive impact on nutrition, livelihoods and the economic development of the nation.
    Robert Musundire, project leader and associate professor of entomology in the Department of Crop Science and Post-Harvest Technology at Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe.
    We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Edible Insects: Food for the Future cookbook, an exciting culinary exploration of the world of edible insects and their role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.
    Robert Musundire, project leader and an associate professor of entomology in the Department of Crop Science and Post-Harvest Technology at Chinhoyi University of Technology, Zimbabwe.
    A shift away from industrial animal production should be prioritised, given the high levels of animal product consumption this kind of system enables, its relatively high environmental toll, linkages to increasing risks of antimicrobial resistance and zoonoses emergence, and harm to animal welfare.
    Cleo Verkuijl. Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute
    First, world leaders need to show that they stand by the promise and take decisive action to achieve the goals. Secondly, they must strengthen international cooperation and ensure longer-term financing for sustainable development. The world's rich countries have a great responsibility here.
    Åsa Persson, Research Director and Deputy Director at Stockholm Environment Institute
    The current pace is too slow, and our efforts are insufficient. Since the last follow-up four years ago, the world has backtracked on several sub-goals where we had previously made progress. Additionally, several interim goals have been heading in the wrong direction for a significant period, especially in the environmental domain. Therefore, we need extensive societal changes across multiple areas.
    Åsa Persson, Research Director and Deputy Director at Stockholm Environment Institute and one of the researchers behind the report.
    The 2030 Agenda is the world's most ambitious sustainability agenda. While research and future scenarios indicate that achieving all the goals will be challenging, it is important to remember that every single step forward counts. The transition is both necessary and inevitable.
    Åsa Persson, Research Director and Deputy Director at Stockholm Environment Institute
    The Mekong Region, with its rich biodiversity, diverse landscapes, and vibrant communities, is vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and ecological imbalances threaten the region’s societies.
    Niall O’Connor, Centre Director, Stockholm Environment Institute Asia.
    Air pollution poses a severe threat to public health, the environment and economic well-being. Nakuru city, like many urban areas across the world, is not immune to this problem. SEI is pleased to co-host this important celebration in line with our work to bridge science, policy and practice. We will continue to support the county of Nakuru, the national government and other institutions with the science to enable them make sound decisions to address air quality and climate change issues for the betterment of our people.
    Dr. Philip Osano, SEI Africa Director
    In order to empower the industry and policymakers committed to emission reductions, our goal is to provide comprehensive tracking of public announcements of investments in low-carbon cement technologies.
    Per Andersson, Head of the Secretariat – LeadIT
    Unleashing technology such as CCUS is key to achieving our net zero mission in our sector. Carbon capture pilots, projects and announcements are picking up pace across the world. This technology works, and our next goal is to scale up, working with stakeholders such as governments and the investment community to help transform the industry worldwide.
    Thomas Guillot, Chief Executive of the GCCA
    Progress on the climate and sustainable development goals has stagnated and, in some cases, even decreased over the past three years. This raises questions about political will and commitment to implement both agendas. The NDC-SDG Connections show both the low-hanging fruits and the gaps that need to be filled. It is particularly important to strengthen action on the social dimension of sustainability to change course while leaving no one behind.
    Adis Dzebo, Research Fellow at Stockholm Environment Institute
    Evidence shows that transboundary climate risks are a global concern, yet the international, national and local mechanisms to adapt to climate change are not yet equipped to meet this common challenge. We need a global response to transboundary climate risks if we are to build collective resilience to climate change.
    Katy Harris, Director of Adaptation Without Borders and Senior Policy Fellow at SEI
    This provides a unique opportunity to gather high-level representatives from EU member states to reflect on the outcome of the informal ministerial meeting and focus on the EU’s sustainability goals achieving the common vision described in the European Green Deal.
    Måns Nilsson, Executive Director at Stockholm Environment Institute
    If we want an equitable and sustainable future that limits global warming and addresses its ongoing impacts, the ambitions for climate action need to be increased significantly and the implementation of climate mitigation and adaptation measures needs to be deeper and more sustained across all sectors and systems and across all world regions. These measures need to be transformative and equitable to ensure the most effective societal response, including not only technological advances and broader deployment of best practices, but also behavioural changes and institutional reforms.
    Francis X. Johnson, Senior Research Fellow at Stockholm Environment Institute and member of the extended writing team.
    There are concerns that a transition to LPG or grid-based electricity, which are both fossil-intensive options, would increase emissions that contribute to climate change. However, we find that even when we account for ‘upstream’ emissions from extraction, processing, long-distance transportation and last-mile distribution, both LPG and grid-based power result in lower emissions of all the major pollutants that contribute to climate change. Equally important, the transitions also result in dramatically lower health risks.
    Rob Bailis, Senior Scientist at Stockholm Environment Institute
    In all we do at SEI, we have a dual mission to produce robust, trustworthy science, and communicate the results so they are clear, compelling and actionable. Robust evidence is as crucial as ever, but what drives people’s actions is their values, and their sense of their place in the world. By combining our organizations’ respective strengths, we have produced a booklet that I believe will be very compelling and useful to readers. At a time when many people feel hopeless, like they can’t possibly make a difference, this guide shows they can – both individually, and by advocating collectively for systemic change.
    Måns Nilsson, Executive Director Stockholm Environment Institute
    After ten years our ongoing study on peatland management is finally providing some of the answers on how heather burning compares to mowing or uncut approaches. Concerns around burning, for example, are often focused around the large emissions from fire, but we found that whilst carbon loss from the burnt areas is higher in the short-term than from mowing, it then falls as vegetation regrows and takes up a lot more carbon.
    Associate Professor Andreas Heinemeyer, Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York
    This comes hot on the heels of the climate COP27, where nature's role in achieving climate goals gained prominence. Biodiversity’s COP15 is a once in a decade opportunity to set out a framework for addressing the biodiversity crisis. It is vital that we address the multiple global crises in a coherent way. We are pleased that the GEIC indicator can help governments and stakeholders to understand how consumption drives impact across biodiversity and climate, driving aligned action.
    Jonathan Green, SEI York Senior Researcher
    There's no question poor, climate-vulnerable countries need more international financial support for climate adaptation. But adaptation finance is a question of ‘how’ in addition to being a question of ‘how much’. Funders that want to get adaptation finance right need to understand power dynamics on the lower levels of government as well as informal power structures. Otherwise, finance is likely to benefit those households whose political connections and powerful positions already make them better positioned to adapt to the impacts of climate change and fail to improve the situation of those already at a disadvantage.
    Katherine Browne, researcher at Stockholm Environment Institute.
    Trase is marking a major milestone in releasing these new supply chain, deforestation and emissions data for Brazilian soy. This release, and the vital transparency it brings, is the result of over two years of intensive research on one of the most important commodities and sectors linked to deforestation and conversion of native ecosystems across the tropics.
    Toby Gardner, Director of Trase and SEI Senior Research Fellow
    By identifying consumer groups at risk of losing from the fossil-free transition, this study emphasises the need for a targeted and well-planned emissions reduction policy and a transitional assistance policy to support a fair and just low-carbon transition for all. Focus must be on how to support those who will have a harder time to cope with the necessary transition.
    Claudia Strambo, research fellow at SEI
    Climate change risks and impacts expose vulnerabilities for most businesses today. A just transition for climate adaptation can help businesses integrate environmental and social work into their core business strategy and ensure long-term resilience for companies, their workers as well as local communities.
    Richard Klein, IPCC Lead Author and Team Leader, International Climate Risk and Adaptation at the Stockholm Environment Institute, and co-author of the guidance
    While the cover decisions from last year’s climate change conference COP26 embarked on a new and ambitious path, by mentioning the need to phase down fossil fuels, the COP27 outcome only represents a standstill on that path. Sadly, the overall outcome lacks the sense of urgency that emanated from the science presented in the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
    Richard J.T. Klein, Senior Research Fellow
    This assessment comes at a timely moment, as COP27 is focused on implementation. Through this report, African governments, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and local communities now have the scientific evidence on different options for action that can enable the continent to meet its development objectives while mitigating pollution and GHG emissions.
    Måns Nilsson, Executive Director, Stockholm Environment Institute
    The Agenda 2030 Compass provides a practical, structured way for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to inform decisions that companies or government face in strategic planning. "The versatility of the 2030 Compass is one of its unique features. The tool has been used to test the sustainability of product design, housing development and municipal planning strategies. The method could be applied in almost any sector or country.
    Timothy Suljada, Head of the Resources, Rights and Development Division at SE
    Climate change, the biodiversity crisis, human health and animal welfare – there are many urgent reasons to act. In some countries, such as the Netherlands, we’re already seeing efforts to scale down meat production, but many are still avoiding the issue. It is time to engage proactively with stakeholders to start moving towards more socially just, sustainable and humane food systems.
    Cleo Verkuijl, lead author of the report and a scientist in SEI’s U.S. Center
    It is clear from the reports published today that there’s an urgent need for national governments to act decisively to deliver a long-term strategy for phasing out oil and gas extraction in the region. By engaging with a broad group of stakeholders, it is evident that all groups need clarity and bold visions for the North Sea oil and gas transition. National governments must act to deliver these strategies, or risk short-term decision making, related to the energy crisis, locking in increased oil and gas production for decades.
    Felipe Sanchez, Research Associate at Stockholm Environment Institute
    This is the first clear evidence of a link between ZDCs and lower deforestation risk in palm oil supply chains.
    Dr Robert Heilmayr of the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB)
    Deforestation for palm oil in Indonesia has declined significantly in recent years, and our data show that the greatest declines have occurred in supply chains governed by zero-deforestation commitments. However, these achievements are fragile, and rising palm oil prices and the growing role of traders who have lower levels of public transparency threaten to undermine progress.
    Dr Toby Gardner, Director of Trase and Senior Research Fellow at SEI
    Sector specific initiatives to combat deforestation can be invaluable, and new measures to prohibit imports of commodities linked to deforestation in consumer markets, such as those under negotiation in the EU, UK and USA represent a major step forward from largely voluntary efforts to combat deforestation to date.
    Dr. Toby Gardner of the Stockholm Environment Institute and Director of the supply chain transparency initiative, Trase.
    In many ways, the world is at a boiling point – with extreme temperatures in South Asia, escalating fuel and food prices, and war and conflict. In our report, we seek to connect the big picture of intertwined planetary and inequality crises with the promising momentum for change that we see in public awareness and key technologies reaching mass market, to shift from urgency to agency.
    Åsa Persson, Research Director and Deputy CEO of SEI
    The combination of detailed cargo data and vessel operations data brings a very powerful product, and shines a light on what has long been a blind spot.
    Javier Godar, a Senior Researcher at SEI.
    There are different ways to get to net zero by 2050, but the pace at which we reach net zero also matters. We already have the keys in our hands: electrification, biofuels and energy efficiency improvement. Decarbonization policies should not only address new vehicles, but also the existing vehicle stock for achieving maximum impacts.
    Maria Xylia, author and Research Fellow at SEI
    It might appear that the easiest route for investors is to divest from emission-intensive sectors and companies, however, there is an enormous opportunity to influence the level of emissions and make an impact on the real economy by placing coordinated pressure on companies and other actors in high emitting sectors to plan and implement serious transitions of their businesses.
    Aaron Maltais, Program Director for Stockholm Sustainable Finance, Senior Scientist and Lead author at Stockholm Environment institute (
    Practical, pragmatic solutions exist for loss and damage finance that don’t politicise the issue and instead focus on the needs of vulnerable countries and communities.
    Zoha Shawoo, associate scientist in SEI
    It is urgent that all remaining public financiers as well as private  finance, including commercial banks and asset managers, switch their funding from coal to  renewables to promote full decarbonization of the power sector and access to renewable energy for  all.
    António Guterres, UN Secretary General
    The research is clear: global coal, oil, and gas production must start declining immediately and steeply to  be consistent with limiting long-term warming to 1.5°C.
    Ploy Achakulwisut, a lead author on the  report and SEI scientist.
    The kind of mapping we have undertaken is crucial to understanding finance for adaptation in this particularly climate vulnerable part of the world, and then being able to take it further and examine its effectiveness.
    Georgia Savvidou
    As an international community, we are only as resilient as the most vulnerable among us. There is an urgent need, and a clear opportunity, for multilateral cooperation around climate change and trade, including working together to invest in systemic resilience.
    Kevin M Adams, lead author
    The study’s evidence confirms earlier case studies suggesting that organizations like the International Organization for Migration and World Health Organization have increasingly integrated adaptation in their governance portfolios.
    Lisa Dellmuth, lead author at Stockholm University, and co-lead of the Mistra Geopolitics PhD Research School.
    Climate change will have far-reaching and potentially catastrophic effects on health, with the largest burden falling on the poor, who have contributed the least to emissions.
    Professor Sir Andy Haines, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
    The role of wetlands in climate change is underappreciated, but there are a few areas where ecosystem stewardship – restoration, conservation and wise use under changing conditions – can address so many critical issues at once, including climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity protection and water-based ecosystem services.
    Marcus Carson, SEI Senior Research Fellow
    It is important to specifically focus on methane mitigation as part of climate action in this decade, leading to further reductions up to 2050.  It is a positive sign that more countries are now acknowledging this.
    Johan C. I. Kuylenstierna co-author of the report and Research Leader at SEI.
    Methane mitigation can save lives, prevent respiratory disease, help prevent further warming and overall contribute to healthier ecosystems. The measures that need to be taken to achieve this are readily available, and cost-effective. There is no reason not to act now.
    Eleni Michalopoulou co-author and Research Associate at SEI.
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