SEI-US
Welcome to the web site of the U.S. Center of the Stockholm Environment Institute, an international research organization working on sustainable development. SEI-US is a research affiliate of Tufts University in Massachusetts. Our main offices are on the Tufts campus in Somerville, MA and we also have offices in Davis, California and Seattle, Washington. more...
NEW BOOK
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Handbook of Carbon Offset Programs Trading Systems, Funds, Protocols and Standards
SEI's work is interdisciplinary in nature:
drawing upon engineering, economics, ecology, ethics,
operations research, international relations
and software design. We conduct applied
scientific research: bringing the best
available science to policy makers.
In addition to providing policy-relevant analyses, we build capacity in the developing world for integrated sustainability planning through training and collaboration on projects. Our decision support tools such as LEAP for energy and climate mitigation and WEAP for water resources are widely used.
Our activities are organized into three programs:
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The Climate and Energy Program conducts energy system analyses, examines environmental consequences of energy use such as global warming, and develops policies for a transition to efficient and renewable energy technology. |
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The Water Resources Program brings an integrated framework to freshwater assessment, one that seeks sustainable water solutions by balancing the need for basic water services, development and the environment. |
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The Future Sustainability Program takes a holistic perspective in assessing sustainability at global, regional, and national levels. |
The Stockholm Environment Institute US Center (SEI-US) is a non-profit research organization with 501c(3) status.
Learn more about SEI's U.S. Center and our projects.
News
New report and white paper examine U.S. climate policy impacts on states
Elizabeth A. Stanton and Frank Ackerman
SEI has analyzed how interstate differences would affect potential climate policies’ impact on states and found that a simple approach that puts a price on carbon, then returns almost all the revenue to households, would effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions without hurting most Americans' incomes. An accompanying white paper offers 7 key questions by which to judge U.S. climate policy.
Read more
Now Available - Free National Data Sets for Energy Modeling
July 2010
SEI has started releasing national level "starter" data sets for its energy modeling software LEAP. These are designed to combine historical energy balance data with other data sources such as emission factors, population projections, and development indicators. For more information please visit www.energycommunity.org (login required)
A New Model of Climate and Development
April, 2010
Frank Ackerman, Elizabeth A. Stanton, and Ramón Bueno,
SEI's new Climate and Regional Economics of Development (CRED) model is designed to analyze the economics of climate and development choices. Its principal innovations are the treatment of global equity, calculation of the optimum interregional flows of resources, and use of McKinsey marginal abatement cost curves to project the cost of mitigation.
Download the working paper
The Social Cost of Carbon
April 2010
Frank Ackerman and Elizabeth A. Stanton
This white paper analyzes the assumptions underlying the economic models which the U.S. government used for defining the "social cost of carbon." It highlights the significant short-comings of the models and points out how they lead to underestimating the risks and costs of climate change.
Download the white paper