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Shaping local response – The influence of transnational municipal climate networks on urban climate governance

Busch, Henner LU orcid ; Bendlin, Lena and Fenton, Paul (2018) In Urban Climate 24. p.221-230
Abstract
In recent years, many cities have joined transnational municipal climate networks (TMCNs), which were set up in response to climate change. Despite the fact that some of these TMCNs have been active for more than two decades, there has been no systematic investigation of the networks' impact on local climate governance. In this article we attempt to answer if and how local climate governance has been influenced by municipalities' memberships in TMCNs. Our assessment is based on an online survey conducted with staff from all German cities above 50,000 inhabitants with membership in TMCNs, fieldwork and interviews in seven German cities. Network membership mainly influences local climate governance through the following processes: (1)... (More)
In recent years, many cities have joined transnational municipal climate networks (TMCNs), which were set up in response to climate change. Despite the fact that some of these TMCNs have been active for more than two decades, there has been no systematic investigation of the networks' impact on local climate governance. In this article we attempt to answer if and how local climate governance has been influenced by municipalities' memberships in TMCNs. Our assessment is based on an online survey conducted with staff from all German cities above 50,000 inhabitants with membership in TMCNs, fieldwork and interviews in seven German cities. Network membership mainly influences local climate governance through the following processes: (1) Enabling internal mobilisation (2) Formulating emission reduction goals (3) Institutionalising Climate Trajectories (4) Enabling direct exchange and (5) Offering project support. Our data suggests that the main influences of TMCN membership unfold in internal political processes in the member cities. External interactions, such as between cities or between network staff and cities is comparably less important. We also found that many of these benefits can be associated with laggards rather than pioneering cities. We conclude that TMCNs have considerable influence on local climate governance in Germany. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Climate change adaptation, Climate change mitigation, Local climate governance, Transnational municipal climate networks, Urban planning
in
Urban Climate
volume
24
pages
10 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85045027708
ISSN
2212-0955
DOI
10.1016/j.uclim.2018.03.004
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
3811ce94-b63c-4e96-a22a-5982386a21eb
date added to LUP
2018-04-16 16:06:14
date last changed
2022-04-17 20:01:16
@article{3811ce94-b63c-4e96-a22a-5982386a21eb,
  abstract     = {{In recent years, many cities have joined transnational municipal climate networks (TMCNs), which were set up in response to climate change. Despite the fact that some of these TMCNs have been active for more than two decades, there has been no systematic investigation of the networks' impact on local climate governance. In this article we attempt to answer if and how local climate governance has been influenced by municipalities' memberships in TMCNs. Our assessment is based on an online survey conducted with staff from all German cities above 50,000 inhabitants with membership in TMCNs, fieldwork and interviews in seven German cities. Network membership mainly influences local climate governance through the following processes: (1) Enabling internal mobilisation (2) Formulating emission reduction goals (3) Institutionalising Climate Trajectories (4) Enabling direct exchange and (5) Offering project support. Our data suggests that the main influences of TMCN membership unfold in internal political processes in the member cities. External interactions, such as between cities or between network staff and cities is comparably less important. We also found that many of these benefits can be associated with laggards rather than pioneering cities. We conclude that TMCNs have considerable influence on local climate governance in Germany.}},
  author       = {{Busch, Henner and Bendlin, Lena and Fenton, Paul}},
  issn         = {{2212-0955}},
  keywords     = {{Climate change adaptation; Climate change mitigation; Local climate governance; Transnational municipal climate networks; Urban planning}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  pages        = {{221--230}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Urban Climate}},
  title        = {{Shaping local response – The influence of transnational municipal climate networks on urban climate governance}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.uclim.2018.03.004}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.uclim.2018.03.004}},
  volume       = {{24}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}