Local government in Poland in the light of climate policy challenges

Abstract

Achievement of climate goals adopted at the EU level requires the widest possible involvement of local government units, in particular cities responsible for a significant part of greenhouse gas emissions. For over a decade, the EC has been taking steps to better manage the scale of the EU member states’ climate efforts at the local level through the use of so-called instruments of soft regulation. These actions, aimed at putting pressure on the governments of the EU member states to mobilize them to take more ambitious actions in the field of climate protection, lead to the creation of new informal instruments supporting implementation of the EU legislation. The article discusses this phenomenon on the example of the Covenant of Mayors operating since 2008.