SEI

Three ways for cities to adapt to climate change

Anna Taylor — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 09:20:21 +0000

Anna Taylor offers three lessons for cities seeking to adapt to climate change. Originally published by The Conversation Africa, this article draws on her experiences living in drought-stricken Cape Town and on her research into adaptation, decision-making and governance for SEI and the African Centre for Cities at the University of Cape Town.

A typology framework for trade-offs in development and disaster risk reduction: a case study of Typhoon Haiyan recovery in Tacloban, Philippines

Heidi Tuhkanen; Michael Boyland; Guoyi Han; Karlee Johnson; Arno Rosemarin — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 08:52:59 +0000

Development and disaster risk are deeply linked. Disasters reverse development gains; development initiatives influence the risk, vulnerability, and exposure of people, assets, and environments to disasters. Hence, knowledge of key dimensions of the potential trade-offs between development and disaster risk reduction (DRR) may inform decision-making processes, goals, and initiatives in ways that have potential to address unsustainable development practices that are commonplace in countries of all economic levels.

Solutions and innovations for a sustainable future at the SEI Science Forum 2018

Keith Begg — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 12:50:05 +0000

On 24 April over 270 participants representing five continents attended SEI’s flagship conference, Innovating for a Sustainable Future. The participants and panelists represented a wide spectrum of expertise from the research, industrial and policy sectors.

Change story: Gender in water and sanitation – empowerment by numbers

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 07:00:44 +0000

Adaptation to water insecurity can create valuable opportunities to redress imbalances in decision-making power between men and women, or between different ethnic and socio-economic groups. But how do we identify those imbalances? And how do we measure success? When it comes to the issue of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), an SEI project in Burkina Faso is developing a new Empowerment in WASH Index that aims to do just that.

Can video bridge science and policy?

Robert Watt — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 22:22:03 +0000

Video is a storytelling format that can turn complex ideas into compelling narratives. In this article, Rob Watt reflects on some lessons from six years of using video to bridge science and policy.

Inescapably intertwined: the reality of globalization and borderless climate risks

Magnus Benzie; Ekaterina Bessonova — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 09:00:28 +0000

Living in an era of growing interconnectedness, it is time to admit: climate adaptation isn't only a matter of national policy. Climate change does not respect national borders and adaptation efforts are unlikely to succeed if done in geographic isolation. The Transnational Climate Impacts Index (TCI Index) examines country exposure to climate change from an international perspective.

Combining citizen science and food waste – exploring the untapped potential

Helen Saarniit — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 08:18:53 +0000

SEI experts organised a brainstorming workshop to gather a community of people interested in combining food waste research with citizen science approaches and develop further research ideas on the topic.

Towards a relational understanding of the water-energy-food nexus: an analysis of embeddedness and governance in the Upper Blue Nile region of Ethiopia

Christian Stein; Jennie Barron — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 12:50:59 +0000

This paper assesses how actors involved in the governance of water, energy and food in the Upper Blue Nile interact with each other across sectors and scales.

To right the wrongs in gold mining, focus on good governance

Nicki Cole — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 13:32:58 +0000

Research on gold mining shows that the social impacts within and connected to the industry go far beyond the usual labour issues in global supply chains. What’s the answer to these systemic problems?

Global Bioeconomy Summit 2018 – Opportunities and challenges in Africa

Ivar Virgin — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 14:50:40 +0000

insights from the 2018 Global Bioeconomy Summit in Berlin. Ivar Virgin (SEI) second from the right.

During the summit, held in Berlin on 19–20 April, 70 European and African experts took part in 14 parallel sessions. Discussions focused on how to tackle challenges and grasp opportunities for integrating regional African bioeconomies into a global bioeconomy, while at the same time aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Export-led growth, global integration, and the external balance of Small Island Developing States

Eric Kemp-Benedict — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 20:04:50 +0000

This paper presents a macroeconomic model for Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean structuralist tradition.

A realistic alternative to the neoliberal magical market

Eric Kemp-Benedict — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 22:16:04 +0000

A belief in the “magic of the marketplace” influences policies around the world. But what if it’s wrong?

REDD+, hype, hope and disappointment: The dynamics of expectations in conservation and development pilot projects

Jon Ensor — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 13:42:56 +0000

This paper explores the dynamics of expectations in international forest conservation and development programs, and the impacts and implications of (unfulfilled) expectations for actors involved.

Bridging gaps in the agricultural phosphorus cycle from an animal husbandry perspective—the case of pigs and poultry

Kim Andersson; Daniel Ddiba; Arno Rosemarin — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 09:32:45 +0000

Balancing the phosphorus cycle within farming systems is crucial to achieve phosphorus sustainable and resilient livestock production. Therefore, the interconnection of animal feed, livestock farming, manure, and soil/aquatic ecosystems requires multidisciplinary approaches to improve phosphorus management.

The multifunctional roles of vegetated strips around and within agricultural fields

Neal Haddaway — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 08:17:50 +0000

What evidence exists regarding the effects of field margins on nutrients, pollutants, socioeconomics, biodiversity, and soil retention in boreo-temperate systems?

Disseminating sustainable consumption and production in Kenya

Thu, 07 Jun 2018 08:12:38 +0000

This project involves the identification and promotion of Africa-tailored sustainable consumption and production practices along the dairy, coffee and mango value chain in Kenya with learning exchanges in Uganda and Ethiopia.

Citizen science and food waste workshop

Wed, 16 May 2018 08:31:54 +0000

This workshop will be the first step at setting up the network of combining research in food waste and citizen science.

How does carbon offsetting impact landscapes?

Mon, 14 May 2018 14:21:21 +0000

Welcome to this joint Focali-SIANI seminar in Stockholm on World Environment Day. At this event we will dig deeper into opportunities and risks of various carbon offsetting initiatives.

Photo: Sebastian Sammer / Unsplash.

Vegetation matters: correcting chamber carbon flux measurements using plant volumes

Phoebe Morton; Andreas Heinemeyer — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 10:35:25 +0000

This paper assesses the importance of plant volume in chamber carbon flux measurements.

Ozone air pollution and gender inequality in India

Sofie Mortensen; Divya Pandey — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 04:48:43 +0000

Air quality is of increasing concern for policymakers across the world. But while much attention has been given to urban air quality, the socioeconomic impacts of air pollution including on gender inequality need more understanding.