The cities, communities and consumption team encompasses research and capacity-building activities. The starting point is the many challenges cities and local communities are facing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while at the same time adapting to a warming climate. We currently primarily address issues related to climate change, but we also relate to other environmental and sustainability challenges.
The team brings together projects with the overall aim to contribute with new knowledge about what these challenges entail and how tools, processes and stakeholder engagement methods can be developed and implemented to support policy, planning and decision-making and ultimately facilitate a transition to a just, resilient and sustainable society. This is often done through participatory research methods involving public and private stakeholders, as well as civil society and academia.
Stockholm, Sweden.
Photo: Maskot / Getty Images.
The team adopts a cross-sectoral and multilevel governance perspective, mainly in the context of Sweden and the Nordic countries, covering a variety of research topics. A key feature of the team is the focus on tool development for calculating the environmental pressures of Swedish consumption. Research topics also include the circular economy, supply chain management and how digitalization can aid decision-making processes among consumer, sustainable investments and city finance, as well as processes for transdisciplinary knowledge integration in the context of climate risk and vulnerability assessments.
Team Leader: Cities, Communities and Consumption; Senior Research Fellow
SEI Headquarters
Tool / SEI's Consumption Compass is a unique tool, tracking greenhouse gas emissions from households in Sweden for over 100 consumption categories.
Project / This project will inform targeted policy actions to reduce unsustainable investments and consumption-driven emissions, using the transport sector as case study.
Project / The HeatSafe project seeks to strengthen municipal heat risk planning through close science-policy partnership, knowledge co-production, and tool development.
Project / The Sustainable Avesta project seeks to strengthen municipalities’ abilities to engage their communities to co-create actions to reduce climate impact.
Project / AT LAST is an EU-funded project that supports European cities in realizing their climate ambitions.
Project / Adaptation AGORA will support the adaptation to climate change by leveraging and step-forwarding best practices, innovative approaches and policy instruments.
Project / SEI is working together with Malmö on the transition to climate neutral lifestyles with reduced household consumption and how to finance the overall transition.
Tool / SEI and WWF have developed a "climate calculator" to encourage individuals to learn more about their own climate impact and inspire them to lifestyle changes.
Project / C-SINK aims to transform the CDR market in Europe, focusing on innovation and sustainability to achieve net negative CO2 emissions.
Project / Exploring innovative water governance for a resilient, fair management model against climate change impacts.
Project / Carbon Neutral Digestive Initiative - Enhancing Systems (CANDIES) ger konsumenter möjligheten att göra klimatvänligare val vid köptillfället.
Project / Bringing consumption-based emissions reduction onto the EU Commission agenda.
Project / This project seeks to understand tensions in future consumption patterns in Sweden to ensure a fair transition to a fossil-free welfare society.
Project / Hur kan kommunen hjälpa olika invånare att minska sitt konsumtionsbaserade klimatavtryck och samtidigt skapa mer jämlika livsvillkor?
Project / How the municipality can help different residents to reduce their consumption-based climate footprint and at the same time create more equal living conditions?
SEI report / This report explores the value of - and offers guidance for - engaging citizens in governance to build climate-neutral, sustainable and resilient cities.
Journal article / This study examines a staged co-creation process implemented across four pilot regions to engage diverse citizen groups in shaping soft adaptation measures.
Journal article / Through a knowledge co-production process in Malmö, this article explores its unintended consequences and implications for epistemic injustice.
Journal article / Exploring circular economy efforts in Bogotá and Mexico City, this study reveals how urban transitions can become more inclusive and sustainable.
Journal article / Researchers studied campaigns at two workplaces, how they affected employees’ pro-environmental habits and factors strengthening and weakening their motivation.
Other publication / Om kommunernas möjligheter att minska hushållens konsumtionsbaserade klimatpåverkan och skapa jämlika livsvillkor
SEI brief / This brief argues that greater understanding about the needs of various stages of life is needed to create policies that can promote sustainable consumption.
SEI brief / Get key findings from a comprehensive analysis of EU policy on consumption-based emissions, and recommendations for tackling them.
Journal article / Researchers use experiences and learning from use in three distinct geographical and developmental contexts to create a new Tandem framework.
SEI report / Get a thorough analysis of EU policy on consumption-based emissions, as well as insights and recommendations for the EU and member states on how to reduce them.
SEI report / This report provides a coherent picture of SEI-wide engagement on the circular economy and offers future directions for the research agenda.
SEI report / This report provides guidance for Malmö to leverage sufficiency-oriented approaches to reduce consumption-based emissions and engage citizens in climate action.
SEI report / This report explores the value of - and offers guidance for - engaging citizens in governance to build climate-neutral, sustainable and resilient cities.
Feature / At Adaptation Futures 2025, “Accelerating Adaptation into Action”, SEI researchers contributed expertise on climate finance, adaptation and co-production.
Past event / Join SEI’s sessions at Adaptation Futures 2025 to explore co-production, equity and innovation in climate adaptation.
Feature / From Malmö to Avesta, SEI voices from SCORAI 2025 highlight how context and community can shape real sustainability transitions.
Feature / Discover how SEI's Consumption Compass aids Swedish municipalities is boosting smarter consumption.
Press release / SEI lanserar en uppdaterad version av Konsumtionskompassen, en interaktiv plattform som illustrerar klimatpåverkan från Sveriges hushåll.
Feature / Explore the Adaptation AGORA project’s approaches to address climate adaptation and foster collaboration among citiizens, researchers and decision-makers.
Feature / New interactive map visualizes household emission footprints in Sweden, based on the Climate Calculator tool
Feature / On 20 April in Stockholm, SEI hosted the Think2030 Dialogue, converging policy makers, business leaders and researchers from across Europe.
Feature / The SEI Initiative on Climate Services generated new insights about co-design and co-production proocesses to integrate climate science into adaptation policy.
Promoted podcast / This podcast navigates the complexities of mindful consumption in a vibrant fashion landscape.
SEI report / This report explores the value of - and offers guidance for - engaging citizens in governance to build climate-neutral, sustainable and resilient cities.
