Strong local scientific research capacities remain a central piece of the puzzle when it comes to producing relevant knowledge and solutions to various development challenges. There is still great inequality concerning resources for higher education and research globally, however, and in order to be able to tackle climate change – international aid and collaboration is often upheld as key. The amount of aid that is classified as climate and environment related is on the rise, but similar support related to the sustainable use and management of resources and the environment have constituted part of Swedish (and other) aid for many decades. This paper focuses on Swedish aid and takes its empirical point of departure in 1988, when the environment was included among the aid goals. Using discourse analysis, I will narrow in on the case of research aid policy and analyze in what ways changing environments and climate change have been portrayed as important for development between 1988 and 2016. What can we learn from the recent past and how does it compare to today? What is sustainable development in this context; how have problems and solutions been described and what is perceived to be the role of scientific research in creating transitions from less to more “sustainable”?