Loss of biodiversity and interest in the promises of the bioeconomy creates pressure on forests and implications for their governance. In Sweden, forest policy for the protection of biodiversity is known as “freedom with responsibility”, which puts an onus on the many private forest owners in the country to reverse the critical loss of biodiversity. In this thesis, I explore Swedish forest governance through the narratives of private forest owners and highlight possible tensions between the design and implementation of policy for biodiversity. I use concepts from feminist political ecology and environmental justice to form a lens to highlight the experience of forest owners. I combine semi-structured interviews with transect walks to explore the views of private forest owners from Central and Southern Sweden. In doing so, I seek to highlight the partial knowledges and the personal narrative of persons involved in Swedish forestry. I find that current forest governance does not attend to the multilayered and complex emotions and attachments that forest owners have for their forests, which leads to a discrepancy between the design and implementation of policy for biodiversity protection. In accordance with previous research, this thesis highlights how the deregulated Swedish forest policy instead strengthens the narrative of forestry for production. With increasing pressure from both inside and outside Swedish forestry for more close-to-nature forestry management and alignment of multiple values, a remaining question is whether Swedish forest policy will attend to the pressure or continue following the narrative of the bioeconomy.

Our contact with nature is decreasing in what has been referred to as the “extinction of experience”. Consequences of the loss of nature experiences are far-reaching and involve not only changes in health and wellbeing, but also changes emotions, attitudes, and behaviour towards nature. This research aims to fill a knowledge gap in understanding specific characteristics of nature experiences in relation to both a) generating human wellbeing, and b) improving Human-Nature Connection (HNC), defined as how people relate to nature. The aim is to increase our understanding of the characteristics of nature experiences that can achieve both of these positive outcomes. Furthermore, this research explores an organisational perspective through interviewing organisations that are currently incorporating or thinking to implement practices that include nature experiences. To address the main aim, an integrative literature review was conducted, and the results revealed that intentional contact, active engagement (specifically appreciative outdoor activities, cognitive engagement, cues, and direct earth contact), and biodiversity and wildness to be significant characteristics that positively impact human beings. Moreover, appreciative outdoor activities and cognitive engagement have been shown to be beneficial even when passive. In addition, there is some evidence that there is a link between HNC and wellbeing, which suggests that improving HNC would increase the wellbeing effects experienced by an individual during a nature experience. This knowledge is crucial for designing nature experiences that are able to more efficiently improve wellbeing, as well as improve HNC. Regarding the organisational perspective, a barrier that needs to be overcome is reaching an understanding of the benefits of such experiences, not only for the employees but for the business. One major opportunity identified is the hybrid working model, which allows employees to work remotely, and the possibility for the company to actively encourage its employees to experience nature.

Climate change is the defining challenge of this generation, and transforming our energy systems is the largest part of solving this challenge. Nations have pledged goals in the distant future, but these are insufficient to keep the planet below 2℃ of warming. Citizens have taken legal action against states, and legal action between states seems soon to follow. Both have been studied substantially, though there has yet to be a comparison of different principles under international law and for the question to be contextualised within the energy transition. This gap will be addressed with the research question of this thesis which will seek to find how countries can be held legally responsible using the no-harm principle and human rights principle for not sufficiently undertaking a sustainable energy transition and, if possible, be forced to act more quickly. The question will be answered through a qualitative document analysis of relevant cases and legally binding treaties related to the No-harm principle and human rights approach. The findings demonstrate that the No-harm principle was the better option for pursuing such a case given its expansive authority through theResponsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts (IWA) treaty, which codifies the No-harm principle into international law and has argued numerous environmental cases successfully. However, the No-harm principle and IWA can only be brought by states, which is challenging due to its implication for international relations. The human rights-based approach does not have this risk as citizens can bring cases forward, though there is a significant gap due to a lack of courts in some parts of the world. The results will suggest an ideal case based on these ideal characteristics: a Small Islands Developing Nation bringing a case against the G20 based on a violation of the No-harm principle and the IWA. Though this case was determined to be the most likely to succeed in inducing high emission countries to take action, the duration of such a case and its final process remains in question.

Flooding is and remains to be a serious hazard to human society, with about one in five people globally living within 1 in 100 year flood risk areas. Previous research shows that there are social and economic inequalities in flood exposure, with deprived groups often being more at risk. Exposure studies investi- gated a variety of socioeconomic characteristics over the years by overlaying social data with modelled flood hazard areas. New studies reveal, however, that there can be significant socioeconomic differences between populations in theoretical hazard zones, as predicted by flood models, and flooded areas during extreme events. Despite this, case studies are still rare and are mainly limited to the United States. This thesis explores how material deprivation differs between modelled and flooded areas during the 2007 floods in Gloucester and Kingston upon Hull in the United Kingdom. During this extreme event, more advantaged areas experienced more flooding, both inside and outside the modelled flood hazard zones. In Gloucester, more deprived areas were covered by the modelled hazard map but were not flooded during this event. This work sheds light on the importance of using both hazard models and maps of real events when studying flood exposure. Without considering how social and economic factors can interplay with exposure to natural hazards, disaster management strategies will not be able to protect all vulnerable groups.

The concept of sustainability is currently a prominent topic of discussion within the field of packaging. In the context of numerous product manufacturing enterprises, the integration of sustainability principles into their operational framework is often perceptible to external observers solely through the packaging of the final product. In addition to the established criteria, fundamental concepts and principles, the predominant discourse surrounding the pursuit of sustainable packaging goals primarily revolves around the specific models and practices implemented by the industry. Growing environmental concerns from industry and consumers have driven the development of innovative bio-based materials as alternatives to fossil-derived plastic polymers for packaging applications. This thesis project is in collaboration with the Swedish-Finnish company, Stora Enso Oyj; a paper mill company specialized in packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction and paper solutions, made by renewable materials, such as wood and biomass. The study involves the execution of a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate two distinct packaging solutions. The EcoFlowerBox (EFLB), a packaging solution developed by Stora Enso, is specifically designed to cater to the needs of the floral industry. It serves as an alternative to the conventional flower bucket, fulfilling the essential functions of flower storage and transportation. The materials that were compared in the study are corrugated board and plastic, respectively. The main objective of the study was to determine the most environmentally sustainable option based on the greenhouse gas emissions generated throughout their entire life cycle. In addition to the criterion related to material composition, the ecological durability of the products was assessed by considering their end-of-life treatment and potential.  The assessment methodology discussed in this study covers the complete life cycle of the products being examined. This includes the extraction of raw materials, the manufacturing and utilization processes, and the eventual end-of-life stage.  The research findings indicate that the EcoFlowerBox (EFLB), produced by Stora Enso, exhibits a carbon footprint that is 29% lower compared to the PP bucket in the baseline scenario. This suggests that, from a climate standpoint, the EFLB functions as a more environmentally advantageous packaging solution, in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in comparison to the PP bucket. Additionally, the study identified that the recycling rates and the weight of the PP bucket are crucial factors that exert a substantial impact on the study's outcomes. The results underscore the significance of addressing these areas of concern in order to improve the environmental performance of the EFLB when compared to other PP buckets, and to attain more sustainable packaging solutions for flowers.

Hydrogen is under the spotlight due to its ability to decarbonize the hard-to-abate sector. Sweden, which aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2025, has incorporated hydrogen as an instrument to reach a decarbonization pathway. The Swedish Energy Agency announced that the hydrogen target covers a 5 GW electrolyzer installation needing an enormous electricity supply of around 22-42 TWh in phase 1. However, generating fossil-free hydrogen on a large scale is relatively new in Sweden’s history. There is an urgency to identify the current state of production, distribution, storage, and application of fossil-free hydrogen in Sweden. Comprehending the potential direction using a system thinking approach is also mainly absent. Thus, the study aims to fill those knowledge gaps and provide insight into hydrogen’s current state and future direction. The thesis evaluates materials through the qualitative research design with quantitative data supplementation. The system thinking approach is implemented to investigate the leverage points that can influence the system. The findings showed that various actors had proposed a total of 3.85 GW of electrolyzer installation, implying that 17-32 TWh of electricity should be available. The projects are primarily used to meet industrial demand in the electrofuel, iron and steel, and refinery sectors. However, insufficient electricity supply and investment could inhibit growth. Storage and pipeline infrastructure development is also lagging. Those elements should be resolved to achieve the hydrogen target. The study suggested that reducing production costs, increasing government support, and pursuing disruptive technology will accelerate the transition to a fossil-free hydrogen society.

This study aims at discussing how students’ informational privacy in the learning management system (LMS) Canvas is perceived by staff at higher education institutions (HEIs), as well as identifying challenges arising from dataveillance and from perceptions of informational privacy themselves. The study of perceptions is based on a range of interviews at five HEIs in Sweden. While the LMS Canvas includes dataveillance of students especially through learning analytics (LA) functions that are novel and opaque at Swedish HEIs, consideration of respective flows of personal information and resulting challenges to students’ informational privacy is relatively scarce. Even though usage of dataveillance capabilities appears limited at HEIs, a discrepancy between processed data and respective perceptions among staff, in addition to rare institutional discussions, make Canvas a problematic case for HEIs. Canvas and its introduction were generally perceived as a success, but dataveillance is likely unknown to many students and thus potentially misaligned with their interests for informational privacy.

In accordance with the Paris Agreement and the national goal of climate neutrality by 2045, Sweden needs to lower its greenhouse gas emissions. The second-largest source of CO2 emissions in the country comes from the production of cement, one of the main ingredients of concrete. With concrete being an ideal construction material, and Sweden needing to build more urban housing, Sweden is now in a position where they need to combine a high rate of housing construction with emission cuts to reach the climate goals. Concrete from construction and demolition waste is recyclable and can be used as an aggregate in new concrete and as an input in cement production. This is, however, currently not being done in Sweden and concrete waste is instead used for low-grade purposes such as road construction, landfill infrastructure, and backfilling.  This study, therefore, aims to identify why recycled concrete is not being used to a larger extent in Swedish housing. An interview study has been conducted with actors along the concrete value chain to find out the extent to which housing projects use recycled concrete today, as well as what challenges and possibilities there are for increased use. The results show that recycled concrete within housing projects is currently only used for backfilling. Sweden does not have big enough volumes of high-quality concrete waste for it to be commercially viable to recycle it into recycled aggregate concrete. This recycling process is both costlier and more time-consuming than using conventional methods with raw materials, something Sweden has an abundance and easy access to. There is also a reluctance within the construction industry to use new and unproven methods and materials. Improved on-site sorting of waste materials, leading to higher quality aggregates, and construction standards adapted to the use of recycled materials, are actions to be taken to allow for an increased use of recycled aggregate concrete. All interviewed actors also mentioned the potential of recycled concrete for non-load-bearing walls in housing projects.

There is a lack of academic knowledge concerning mechanisms through which sustainable transitions are promoted. Sustainable transitions in the infrastructure system are key to achieve multiple other SDGs, and the infrastructure development gap is particularly critical in developing countries. Agenda 2030 clearly states the importance of joint action. It is, therefore, relevant to investigate how sustainable transitions can be promoted through collaborations between public and private actors. Specifically, how sustainable transitions in the infrastructure system in low-income countries can be promoted. The notion of public-private partnerships (PPPs) was used to describe collaboration, and sociotechnical system (STS) transitions were used to describe transitions. To examine how PPPs can promote transitions in STS, an Ethiopian case study was conducted. The case used was a technical and vocational school called HDECOVA located in Addis Ababa. A collaborative project between public and private actors. The empirical data was obtained from key actors in the partnership surrounding HDECOVA, both in the form of interviews and documents. To analyze the empirical data, a theoretical and conceptual framework was synthesized borrowing from theories on STS, PPPs, the holistic transition framework Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) and Principal-Agent Theory. The result showed HDECOVA has affected sustainable transitions in the infrastructure system, mainly through effects on the labor market and the education system. The results showed that the mechanisms, through which HDECOVA has promoted shifts in systems, are mainly scaling up and decreasing skill gaps. The results suggest that HDECOVA has successfully promoted sustainable transitions by being aligned with identified development challenges in the infrastructure system. On this basis, it can be suggested that PPPs can promote sustainable transitions by affecting regime- and niche levels of the system.

Vid inträffandet av naturolyckor och katastrofer påverkas människor i olika omfattning, inte bara beroende på deras bostads läge utan även utifrån deras sociala förhållanden och förutsättningar. I denna studie genomförs en riskanalys samt utvecklas en metod för beräkning av ett områdes sociala sårbarhet genom ett index. Studiens geografiska avgränsning är en sträcka av Klarälven i Värmland och baseras på data framställt av Skogsstyrelsen, Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (MSB), Lantmäteriet och Statistiska centralbyrån (SCB).   I studien beräknades ett socialt sårbarhetsindex genom att kombinera flera lager av SCB:s statistiska data i ett geodatalager med kvadratiska polygoner. Det sociala sårbarhetsindexet kombinerades sedan med resultatet från en flerfaroanalys (multi-hazard analysis) med flera översvämningsscenarion samt områden känsliga för jordskred och ras. Flerfaroanalysen utfördes genom en sammanställning av MSB:s kartering av potentiella översvämningsscenarion och Skogsstyrelsens kartering av områden som kan drabbas av ras eller jordskred. Det sociala sårbarhetsindexet och flerfaroanalysen karterades och överlagrades för att identifiera särskilt sårbara områden.   Med hjälp av det sociala sårbarhetsindexet identifieras en högre social sårbarhet i mer tätbebyggda områden. Indexet påvisar även en högre social sårbarhet i den södra halvan av studieområdet. I flerfaroanalysen ses naturolyckorna variera i omfattning över studieområdet. I den norra delen är risken för jordskred och ras större än i den södra delen som nästan enbart drabbas av översvämningar. Resultaten från riskanalysen visar en “medel-risk” längs en längre sträcka av Klarälven och ökad risk i tätbebyggda områden. För förbättring av det sociala sårbarhetsindexet behövs mer detaljerade data över mindre områden för att öka indexets tillförlitlighet och användningsområden. / When natural phenomena and disasters occur, people are affected to varying degrees, not only depending on the location of their homes, but also on the basis of their social background. In this study, a multi-hazard risk analysis and a method for estimating an area’s social vulnerability through an index were developed. The study was carried out along River Klarälven in Värmland and was based on data produced by the Swedish forest agency, The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), The Swedish Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration Authority and Statistics Sweden (SCB).   The study presents a social vulnerability index by combining several layers of SCB's statistical data, in a geodata layer with square polygons. The social vulnerability index was combined with a multi-hazard analysis considering several flood scenarios and landslide susceptibility. The multi-hazard analysis was performed through a compilation of MSB's mapping of potential flood scenarios and the Swedish forest agency’s mapping of areas that may be affected by landslides. The social vulnerability index and the results from the multi-hazard analysis were mapped and combined in order to identify areas with substantial risk.    The social vulnerability index indicates a higher social vulnerability in more densely populated areas. The index also shows a slightly higher social vulnerability in the southern half of the study area. The results from the multi-hazard analysis, the spatial distribution of natural hazards varied. The northern part of the study area has a greater susceptibility to landslides than the southern part, which is almost exclusively are induced by floods and extreme flows. The result of the risk analysis shows a “medium risk” along the largest studied part of the River Klarälven and a slightly increased risk in densely populated areas. For future improvements in the development of the social vulnerability index, more data is needed with a higher spatial resolution to increase the index's reliability and areas of use.