Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Mistra Geopolitics are proud to announce that Dr. Henrik Carlsen, Co-Director of Mistra Geopolitics and SEI Senior Research Fellow, has been appointed to the United Nations Environment Programme and International Science Council (UNEP-ISC) Strategic Foresight panel.
UNEP-ISC Foresight Expert Panel
The International Science Council (ISC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have partnered to establish the UNEP-ISC Foresight Expert Panel which comprises 21 distinguished scholars and experts who will guide and oversee critical work on environmental horizon. Dr. Henrik Carlsen, Senior Research Fellow at SEI and Co-Director of the Mistra Geopolitics research programme, is one of the newly named members.
The Panel will be expected to advance science-based strategic foresight to develop futures thinking, be better prepared to engage with challenges proactively, and to inform and guide decisions for the benefit of the global environment.

“I am honoured to have been selected for this significant role,” said Dr. Carlsen.
Dr. Carlsen is the Co-Director of Mistra Geopolitics, a research programme focusing on the interplay of geopolitics, human security, and environmental change. A common thread of his research has been on identifying and assessing future threats and developing mitigation strategies including decision-making under uncertainty.
“I believe that the work of the UNEP-ISC Strategic Foresight panel will be critical in shaping the future of our planet. It is indeed challenging times for foresight processes, not the least because the rapid technological development we are currently seeing. I am excited to work with like-minded experts on this panel to develop innovative solutions to some of the most complex climate and environmental challenges facing us today.”
Currently Carlsen is leading the Mistra Geopolitics research theme Foresight Capabilities and Emerging Technologies, and focusing on global agendas for sustainable development, especially the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Henrik Carlsen’s overarching interest is to apply methodologies and approaches from systems theory on problems in sustainability science. He also specialises in the development and execution of combined analytical and stakeholder-driven processes.
Dr. Carlsen’s appointment to the UNEP-ISC Strategic Foresight panel reflects SEI’s ongoing commitment to developing and promoting sustainable solutions to global environmental challenges. SEI has a long history of collaborating with international organizations such as UNEP to address these challenges, and Dr. Carlsen’s appointment is a testimonial to the Institute’s reputation as a leader in this field.
How can artificial intelligence contribute to Agenda 2030?Â
In the Mistra Geopolitics film featured below, Henrik Carlsen and experts discuss the importance of foresight, emerging technologies and artificial intelligence to achieve the SDGs.
Mistra Geopolitics team

Henrik Carlsen

Ylva Rylander

Maria Cole
News story written by Ng’endo Machua-Muniu, Henrik Carlsen and Ylva Rylander at SEI and Mistra Geopolitics.