Sea levels are rising due to global warming, which is induced by anthropogenic activities increasing the concentration of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Sea level rise is already causing a severe impact on coastal wetland ecosystems, and the influence will intensify in the future. One of these coastal ecosystems is mangrove forests, which grow in intertidal zones and are therefore subject to tidal water level fluctuations. Mangrove forests provide essential ecosystem services to coastal environments and societies, and their exposure to sea level rise is a significant concern. The consequences of sea level rise, such as inundation, erosion, and lack of accommodation space, will increase the extent of mangrove loss. It is therefore essential to fully understand how sea level rise is influencing mangrove ecosystems in different geographical locations, and how likely they are to adapt and survive under different scenarios. This research used a systematic literature review to assess scientific articles from various regions, investigating the current knowledge regarding the impacts of sea level rise on mangrove ecosystems. The information was collected from 40 articles, which covered studies from five continents. The findings affirmed that the negative effects of sea level rise on mangrove ecosystems are recognized globally. It is well understood that, by the second half of the century, mangrove ecosystems will face severe issues if the highest IPCC emissions scenarios are reached. It is further well acknowledged that mangrove forests provide important ecosystem services, for example, by protecting the coastal areas under extreme weather events, benefiting natural resources sectors and recreation, and further delivering crucial climate change mitigation services by sequestering and storing blue carbon. It is therefore essential to recognize mangroves as an important ecosystem and treat them adequately. Mangrove ecosystems’ resilience under sea level rise was commonly found to be dependent on their hydro-geomorphological environment. Under sea level rise, one of the most significant factors contributing to mangroves’ survival and resilience was the availability of accommodation space, which they need to be able to migrate inland as the sea levels rise, along with their ability to adapt to changes in sediment elevation rates. To secure the needed accommodation space and to further help mangrove ecosystems grow and live under the sea level rise scenarios, adequate climate change adaptation strategies must be planned and adopted. These strategies include prioritizing high-priority areas for vegetation growth, estimating areal habitat suitability, strengthening the understanding of land use impacts on mangrove forests, and implementing hybrid solutions for coastal protection. Although the issue of sea level rise influencing mangrove ecosystems is well recognized globally, there was an observed lack of adequate research. Further research and improved understanding are needed to ensure that preparation for all emission scenarios, even for the worst ones, is possible and that climate change adaptation strategies will be well implemented.

Global environmental challenges have become more prevalent in the Anthropocene, with the cross-cutting nature of global challenges necessitating a unique way of looking at resource streams. The Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEF Nexus) provides a conceptual framework for highlighting scarcity concerns and interdependencies between the three natural resource streams. However, stakeholders in the WEF nexus sectors tend to operate at different temporal and spatial scales and existing governance structures are plagued by disproportionate stakeholder contributions and unclear strategic goals. This thesis uses a systematic literature review and expert interviews to evaluate stakeholders' contribution in WEF nexus decision-making processes. A social-constructivist approach is adopted to conduct a thematic analysis of relevant articles and expert interviews with two main focuses. First, identifying the challenges of engaging public, private and civil society stakeholders in WEF nexus decision-making processes and second, developing counterstrategies to the identified challenges. The analysis shows that external influences, coordination challenges, process asymmetries, structural asymmetries and nexus cognition are challenges that underpin WEF decision-making processes. As a result of these challenges, decision-making processes are plagued by reduced trust, stakeholder fatigue, power imbalances and disproportionate nexus understanding. The analysis also develops solutions based on implemented practices and recommendations from prospective remedies. The discussion links the findings to broader debates on mainstream media communication, power asymmetries and participatory processes. Therefore, this thesis demonstrates that engagement challenges can be understood through collaborative governance and WEF nexus governance and that counterstrategies exist both in current practices and as future recommendations

To mitigate climate change, greenhouse gas emissions from mobility systems must be reduced. Measures toreduce greenhouse gas emissions from mobility systems tend to suggest implementations of mobility solutionsthat are optimally adapted to urban areas where demand is high. In rural areas, mobility options outside of theprivate car are scarce. This has led to a disproportionate relation between rural and urban opportunities fortransitioning to a sustainable mobility system. An additional problem is the v ery abstract conceptualization ofsustainable mobility—which can lead to misaligned climate policies and ambitions. Through a literature reviewand semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study examined how nine Swedish mid -sized municipalities’staff defined sustainable mobility for rural residents by having them describe problems related to sustainablemobility in their area, and measures to counter said problems. In doing so, they indirectly suggest what theyconsider a sustainable mobility system to be. The literature was primarily concerned with mobility solutions,rather than problems. The empirical results demonstrated that the problems described by the respondents werecaused by car dependence, feelings and ideas of injustice and unfairness, as well as authoritative and managerialcomplexities from the municipal side. Suggested and implemented measures to promote sustainable ruralmobility were often suited to densely populated areas, but the broader ambitions revealed that the investigatedmunicipalities aim to create behavior change in mobility patterns regarding shorter journeys (< 5 km) in urbanareas, and allowing car use in rural areas where options are few.

Even though there is a strong public support for more ambitious policies to mitigate climate change, the politics do not yet follow. Climate assemblies (CA) have been suggested to improve climate change governance by bringing the citizens into the policymaking. However, in systems of representative democracy, the effect of CAs is largely decided by whether the politicians choose to follow the CA’s recommendations. Therefore, the politicians’ attitudes to CAs are of importance. This study is based on interviews with politicians in four Swedish municipalities who are about to conduct their first CA. The politicians’ attitudes to CAs are explored regarding how they view the democratic qualities of the CA and what their expectations are. The results show that CAs are mainly valued as a tool to create innovative policy proposals that are unlikely to stem out of the regular processes. Furthermore, the politicians see it as advantageous compared to regular citizen participation processes that the participants are well-informed and many social groups are represented. Regarding the role of the CA, the politicians frequently contrast the CA’s narrow focus on climate with their responsibility for the whole municipality. The argument is that the CA is not knowledgeable enough to make prioritisations concerning the whole municipality. Thus, the CA produces recommendations that the politicians will consider, but not necessarily follow. The study also highlights implications of the results for the design of CAs, for example in terms of recruitment and scope. There is no one size fits all approach, instead there are trade-offs that need to be acknowledged in the design to increase the chances of the CA to reach its set purpose.

Map generalization is a traditional cartographical issue which should be particularly considered in today’sinformation age. The aim of this study is to find some characteristics about head/tail breaks which worksas generalization method compared with the well known Topfer’s method. A questionnaire survey wasconducted to let 30 users choose either of the series maps of both methods and the reason(s) for thatchoice. Also to test their understanding of the series maps histograms were added for them to match.Afterwards the sample results were analyzed using both univariate and bivariate analysis approaches. Itshows that the head/tail breaks method was selected by 58%, compared with 38.7% of Topfer’s method,because of its simplicity. By checking the correctness of histogram question it also shows that those whowell understood answers choose the head/tail breaks rather than the Topfer’s method. However in somecases, where the amount of geographical features is relatively small, Topfer’s method is more selectedbecause of its informative characteristic and similar structure to the original map. It was also found that inthe comparison the head/tail breaks is more advantageous in line feature type generalization than in arealfeature type. This is probably because Topfer’s method changes its minority selection rule to half selectionin line feature type, whereas the head/tail breaks keeps the scaling property. Any difference between thetwo tested scales, Finland level and Helsinki level, is not found in this comparison study. However, futurework should explore more regarding this and other issues.

Climate change is upon us and the European continent is striving towards reaching the goals set up throughout the EU-green deal, the overarching transitioning plan for Europe to reduce its emissions by 55% by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. One of the newest frameworks to facilitate this change is the corporate sustainability reporting directive. The directive affects big companies and is written in such a way that the coverage of the scope is gradual, so today only listed firms are covered. This research investigates how companies not yet covered by the directive adapt their communication and efforts to align with the directive. It does this by studying the aim: This report aims to explain motives for small and unlisted companies while communicating their corporate social responsibility reporting. The overall objective of the project is to understand their communication and connection to the CSRD- and hence how they prepare for new environmental legislation. It will do this by looking into four IT and consultancy firms based in Stockholm where marketing material as well as sustainability reports has been viewed. The research was done with a flexible design and builds on a literature review covering CSR historic communication, legitimacy theory, Stakeholder theory, and the Triple bottom line, altogether constructing the conceptual framework. The results show that companies communicate by sense giving characteristics in a one-way fashion. Business should involve their stakeholders more in their communication, enabling them to be fast movers concerning the CSRD as well as by competitive reasons. It also shows the value of including external stakeholders. The results also show that companies' communication is focused on the social aspects of sustainability, it is misplaced in focus, and to communicate in line with the CSRD they should communicate emissions as well as anti-corruption, equality, and employee rights. Even though unnoted companies are not covered, there are clear advantages of reporting in line with the directive.

Deforestation and climate change is a global concern and humans live in unsustainable ways. One reason to this is rooted in the increased disconnection to nature. This disconnection originates from a Westernized view of nature, which has its roots in colonialism, industrialization, religion, and capitalism. Research has shown that the disconnection with nature is one of the key factors to explain the global climate crisis. The need to reconnect to our natural world is crucial to be able to decrease negative impact on the planet, such as deforestation and loss of biodiversity. Meanwhile, many Indigenous cultures consider nature to be a living being, which we are connected to, and also regard themselves as stewards of nature. Being and feeling connected to nature is related to increased environmental concern, pro-environmental behavior and nature relatedness. Studies show that ancestral Indigenous knowledge could help to prevent negative impacts on nature and reduce loss of biodiversity and deforestation. However Indigenous peoples are still being overlooked, and their knowledge is considered less valuable. The Kichwa Indigenous Peoples of Sarayaku, in Ecuador, have introduced the declaration Kawsak Sacha, the living forest, which considers nature to be a living being with its own rights. The declaration was introduced in 2018 with the purpose to live in harmony with nature, and to stop deforestation, oil extraction and mining. This study aimed to research the views of Kawsak Sacha, Indigenous peoples’ views of nature and whether this view of nature could be a possible pathway to decrease deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. This study aimed to include Indigenous peoples’ perspectives and voices, this was done through interviews to learn and understand more about their perspectives. The study demonstrates the importance of acknowledging Indigenous knowledge in academia, and environmental decision making. It also shows that learning from Indigenous peoples’ knowledges and views of nature, could be a pathway for Westernized societies to reconnect to nature and that Kawsak Sacha could be an inspiration for other countries to include Indigenous perspectives and knowledge in environmental decision making.

This thesis examines the challenges faced by businesses in implementing sustainable governance policies, particularly in the context of the reconfiguration of global supply chains and the politicization of corporations. The European Union's efforts to establish unified sustainable due diligence regulations for supply chains are analyzed using Multi-level Perspective theory and Institutional Theory. Through a case study approach, this thesis focused on the development process of Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive, which will be a significant legal framework in the future European market from 2026. The empirical analysis draws on various sources, including semi-structured interviews, media press releases, and official EU document, using Critical Discourse Analysis to analyze the texts. The results highlight the dynamic factors influencing the development of these regulations and shed light on the challenges and opportunities faced by Swedish companies. Large enterprises generally support due diligence regulations to maintain competitiveness, while small and medium-sized enterprises exhibit a more conservative attitude due to potential additional costs. Government attitudes and support are crucial in driving the implementation of Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive. Overall, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the complexities involved in implementing sustainable supply chain practices and emphasizes the importance of government involvement in promoting such initiatives.

The number of Swedish fishers has been in decline for many years. In 1930, there were almost 18000 fishing vessels in Sweden. The same number in 2022 was just under 1000. Along the Swedish northern Baltic coast, there are now 243 active vessels, compared to 1279 vessels in 1970. Apart from declining fish stocks, it is likely that other societal, cultural, economic, and ecological factors have affected the decline in the number of fishers. In particular, small-scale fishers in the area have expressed concerns about the result and goals of national and international fishing policy. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how national and international policy have contributed to the decline of small-scale fisheries along the Swedish northern Baltic coast between the 1970s and today. In the 1970s, Swedish fishing policy underwent a major change in focus, shifting towards an economic approach where efficiency and catch size played an important role. By comparing interviews conducted with small-scale fishers and families in Västernorrland during the 1970s to interviews conducted with active small-scale fishers today, the fisher’s perspective of what factors have been driving the development, the effects of policy for small-scale fisheries as well as the biggest differences between the past and current situation will be shown. The results highlight a strong decline in the number of fishers and vessels, a declining belief in the future, declining herring stocks and a declining trust in authorities among the fishers. This can in many ways be seen as a result of Sweden’s long history of capacity enhancing fishing policy, as well as the general development the Swedish northern Baltic region has undergone in the past 60 years. The results underline the importance of policy for the development of both small- and large-scale fisheries. The results of this thesis can be used to better understand the effects Swedish and European fishing policy have had on the development of Swedish northern Baltic small-scale fisheries from the fisher’s perspective. This can be useful to develop new policies that aim to preserve and strengthen the position of the small-scale fisheries.

The global demand for metals is dramatically surging as global efforts increase to transition to renewable energy and with the electrification of society. The mining industry is heavily criticized for its harmful consequences for the environment, local populations and indigenous communities. The rising demand for renewable energy metals to reduce emissions while also safeguarding the environment and human societies from harm caused by mining pose an environmental dilemma. The Swedish mining industry, with significant metal resources in the bedrock, is aiming to be at the forefront of ‘sustainable’ mining, while environmental organizations, local populations and activists oppose major mining project in Sweden. Understanding the various perceptions from key interest groups is important to understand the foundation of this dilemma. These perceptions may be influential to decision making and responses to the dilemma, affecting both the trajectory of Swedish mining, national metals supply, and future protection of environment and human societies. This thesis uses the methods of semi-structured interviews and frame analysis to examine how interest groups perceive the environmental mining dilemma in the context of Sweden. Identifying two contradicting frames based on fundamentally different environmental values – the dominant societal and the deep ecological – illuminates the foundation based on which interest groups define the problem, argue for which actions should be taken, resonate on self-protection, justification of positions and how to influence others. Beyond the empirical case, the results of this thesis contribute to theoretical knowledge on how perceptions and framing influence the formation of environmental disputes.