About SEI US

SEI-US is a non-profit research organization with 501c(3) status in the United States and is a research affiliate of Tufts University in Massachusetts. The main office is on the Tufts campus in Somerville, MA along with smaller offices in Davis, California and Seattle, Washington.

The SEI US centre's work is interdisciplinary in nature: drawing upon engineering, economics, ecology, ethics, operations research, international relations and software design. It conducts applied scientific research: bringing the best available science to policy makers.

In addition to providing policy-relevant analyses, the centre builds capacity in the developing world for integrated sustainability planning through training and collaboration on projects. The centre’s decision support tools are widely used such as LEAP for energy and climate mitigation and WEAP for water resources.

For an overview of our current projects and publications, read our 2008 US Center Report.

See list of our partners

Selected centre publications

Europe’s Share of the Climate Challenge
This report examines how Europe can show leadership in keeping global climate change within specific limits.

The Economics of 350: The Benefits and Costs of Climate Stabilization
This report argues that The more aggressive world leaders are in curbing world carbon emissions, the greater the economic benefits will be.

 

Can We Afford the Future? The Economics of a Warming World

Frank Ackerman offers a refreshing look at the economics of climate change, explaining how the arbitrary assumptions of conventional theories get in the way of understanding this urgent problem.

A Review of Offset Programs: Trading Systems, Funds, Protocols, Standards and Retailers
This report discusses the role of offsets and reviews and compares offset programs of 24 mandatory and voluntary market mechanisms.

 

UNFCCC Resource Guides on National Communications
SEI staff Charlie Heaps and Anja Kollmuss have authored the mitigation module of the new UNFCCC Resource Guides on Preparing National Communications for Non Annex 1 (NAI) Parties.

 

Climate Change: Costs of Inaction for the United States
New study on the costs of inaction for the U.S. economy by Frank Ackerman and Elizabeth A. Stanton. This report presents both a detailed analysis of four major categories of climate costs, and comprehensive modeling of climate impacts on the economy as a whole.

See also recent SEI-US working papers