Climate policy and leadership in a metropolitan region: Cases from the United States

Abstract

In the absence of a cohesive national approach to address climate change, the burden of climate policy making has been borne by subnational governments in the United States. This article discusses the conditions and initiatives that contributed to the ways in which local municipalities have become important centres for climate policy making in the United States and explores the challenges and opportunities for planning for climate change at the local and regional level in this policy context. In particular, the article focuses on the role of leadership in regions for contributing the necessary political support for policy action and the technical capacities needed for carbon accounting. The article focuses on two case studies in the midwestern region of the United States and discusses the differences in bureaucratic commitment to climate policy, the roles of various entities from the non-governmental sector and the important role of citizen activism in advocating for robust climate policy. While leadership in the governmental and civil society sectors is important for agenda setting and carbon accounting for local policy-makers, minimal intra-regional planning and regulatory power over key utility provision can limit climate action. The article concludes with a critical assessment of the efficacy of local climate planning in the United States.