Local climate leadership is largely about managing collaboration

Cities and municipalities hold the framework for a climate-resilient everyday life: housing, transportation, service networks, and other daily infrastructure. Already 90 percent of Finns live in a municipality that has set a climate goal. According to a recent study by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the most common climate goal among municipalities is to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2030.

While mitigation of climate change is usually what public discussion focuses on regarding the climate efforts of cities and municipalities, adapting to climate change is increasingly becoming central. Particularly, vulnerability to the impacts of climate change is built on local conditions, and effective actions require local knowledge. Vulnerability refers to the sensitivity and adaptability of people, technical structures, and societies to the effects of weather and climate. For example, the elderly and those with chronic illnesses are vulnerable to heatwaves, and communities built near water bodies are vulnerable to floods.

Cities and municipalities have demonstrated climate leadership with their goals, but achieving these goals requires cooperation and partnership, where climate issues cannot be isolated to just emission calculations but must closely recognize and address various interests, concerns, and resources, and integrate climate aspects into the broader management of the city or municipality.

Cities and municipalities as partners in state climate policy

The climate work of cities and municipalities is not based on a special legislative mandate for climate policy. As a fundamental rights obligation, both mitigation and adaptation to climate change apply to all public authorities, including municipalities. This constitutional duty justifies viewing cities and municipalities as partners in climate policy alongside state authorities. They break down large international climate goals into concrete actions. Through action, climate policy becomes more understandable.

There is growing interest in cities and municipalities both in the EU and, for example, at the UN. At last autumn's UN Climate Change Conference, the first Local Climate Action Summit was organized. The EU continuously introduces new initiatives and instruments to support the sustainability of cities, where interaction is built directly with the local level.

However, while cities and municipalities implement the climate policy of the EU and the state, due to their self-governance, they are also independent actors in climate policy. Cities and municipalities should not be seen only as implementers of state or EU climate goals, but as platforms and laboratories for climate solutions, and as actors in climate policy, where their strength lies, for example, in local democracy and in building the framework for a sustainable everyday life for residents.

Trust and cooperation that generates new possibilities requires acceptance of diversity

The climate work of cities and municipalities is linked to municipal strategy, as the climate perspective requires cross-cutting management. As a megatrend, climate change is evident and impacts the economy, investments, and, for example, urban planning or procurement, or the well-being of residents. To minimize negative impacts and maximize effectiveness, climate work must be strategic. And at the same time, the cooperation and partnerships within the framework of cities' and municipalities' climate work must also be strategic. Cooperation is not just about randomly increasing interaction but about building meaningful relationships and partnerships.

With the state, this means mutual dialogue and jointly building a situational awareness of both combating and adapting to climate change. Cities and municipalities also need state support, especially in reducing emissions from transportation and heating energy, as their influence in these areas is limited. The rapidly developing and multifaceted climate policy steering system requires ongoing discussion about the reasonableness and impacts of the overall policy, as the coordination challenge posed by climate change is unprecedented.

In addition to aligning the actions of different levels of government to achieve climate goals, it is also important for cities and municipalities to engage the local community. Locally, partnerships are built in various networks of residents, businesses, or, for example, research and education. Trust and cooperation that generates new possibilities require recognizing partners' different values, operating methods, and resources. Businesses may not be motivated by local climate goals but by the benefits climate actions bring to their own business. And although land use planning has traditionally been accustomed to coordinating different societal interests, for instance, in the placement of wind and solar power facilities, different environmental values must be coordinated when climate and nature goals may conflict.

Different collaborative arrangements and partnerships are thus significant for the climate work of cities and municipalities. Building meaningful relationships and partnerships is strategic and long-term work, where the challenges brought by different interests and operating methods are recognized and shared without forgetting the common goals and rules of the game.

Pauliina Jalonen
LinkedIn

The author is a climate policy specialist currently on sabbatical from the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities.