Enhancing structures for joint climate change mitigation and adaptation action in city administrations – Empirical insights and practical implications

Abstract

Increasing impacts from climate change have prompted international calls for the development of synergetic mitigation and adaptation policies and measures. While cities are seen as key actors in the implementation of related actions, there is a lack of scientific knowledge on the organizational conditions required to achieve this in practice. Our paper addresses this gap. Specifically, we assess the impact of various organizational configurations on the initiation of joint mitigation and adaptation resolutions by city councils in Germany. Our results demonstrate that the joint organizational institutionalization of mitigation and adaptation (i.e. joint departments) can be considered both as a necessary and significant prerequisite for joint implementation, unlike joint climate action plans. The developed methodology and identified conditions present an innovative way forward to assess and improve the initiation of integrated resolutions. Our work contributes to organizational and climate policy integration theories, and can help cities worldwide to optimize their organizational configurations and enhance joint mitigation and adaptation actions.