Dr. Åsa Persson is Senior Research Fellow at SEI Stockholm, which she first joined in 2001. A human geographer by training, she received her PhD degree in environmental policy from the London School of Economics & Political Science in 2007.

Her main research interest has evolved from studying the national environmental policy-making process in Sweden and Europe, to global environmental governance, in particular in relation to climate change adaptation and the notion of ‘planetary boundaries’ which she co-developed.

Particular topics that her research has addressed include environmental policy integration (EPI), ‘new’ environmental policy instruments, strategic environmental assessment, mainstreaming climate in development finance, climate finance, the role of international environmental agreements.

Currently, she leads a project examining the notion of global adaptation governance. This includes understanding how a global governance regime is emerging around the often local phenomenon of climate adaptation, but also how economic globalization affects adaptation options and how adaptation in developing countries can be financed and supported.

Her work has been published in journals such as Nature, International Environmental Agreements, European Environment, and Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning.

She has led projects for policy-maker clients, such as the Danish and Swedish governments and the European Commission, and won several competitive grants from research councils.

Publications

• Equity and cost-effectiveness of multilateral adaptation finance: are they friends or foes? (Journal article - 2013)

• Can Earth system interactions be governed? Governance functions for linking climate change mitigation with land use, freshwater and biodiversity protection (Journal article - 2012)

• SEI Research Forum: Book of Abstracts (Other publications - 2012)

• ‘Planetary boundaries’ — exploring the challenges for global environmental governance (Journal article - 2012)

• Equity and cost-effectiveness of multilateral adaptation finance – are they friends or foes? (Working paper - 2012)

• Energy for a Shared Development Agenda: Global Scenarios and Governance Implications (Research report - 2012)

• Equity and Efficiency in the Adaptation Fund: Prioritizing Among the ‘Particularly Vulnerable’ (Policy brief - 2012)

• Reconnecting to the Biosphere (Journal article - 2011)

• The Anthropocene: From Global Change to Planetary Stewardship (Journal article - 2011)

• Institutionalising climate adaptation finance under the UNFCCC and beyond: Could an adaptation ‘market’ emerge? (Working paper - 2011)

Complete list of publications »

Projects

• Governance of climate adaptation in a globalised world

  
  

• SEI-FBDS Rio+20 Energy Assessment

  
  

• Links between the social and environmental pillars of sustainable development

  
  

• EPIGOV: Environmental Policy Integration and Multi-Level Governance

  
  

• Choosing Environmental Policy Instruments

  
  

• Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies (ADAM): Supporting European Climate Policies