Catalyzing political momentum for the effective implementation of decarbonization for urban buildings

Laura Tozer and Durham University

Energy Policy, 2020, vol. 136, issue C

Abstract: This paper expands the toolkit available to consider the effectiveness of urban climate responses by examining political effectiveness in the implementation of urban decarbonization initiatives. By focusing on the politics of implementation, this approach complements dominant approaches for assessing effectiveness that emphasize greenhouse gas emission accounting. Drawing on case studies of urban building low carbon governance in Stockholm, London and San Francisco incorporating 40 expert interviews, the analysis provides insight into whether climate change mitigation measures are catalyzing political momentum that is untangling fossil fuels from institutions. It finds that urban decarbonization is gaining political momentum when it comes to new buildings, although with concerning implications for inequality and uneven development, but systemic change is limited since efforts to target existing buildings are stumbling over challenges. Two key insights are highlighted: 1) reframing the policy goal of urban climate mitigation to decarbonization productively refocuses attention on systemic change; 2) effective urban carbon governance is not only about providing instrumental tools, but it also involves triggering political dynamics that build momentum. Future urban decarbonization initiatives should consider the complementary roles of offering instrumental solutions and catalyzing political momentum through implementation.

Keywords: Decarbonization; Governance; Urban; Climate change; Mitigation; Politics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421519306299
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:136:y:2020:i:c:s0301421519306299

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2019.111042

Access Statistics for this article

Energy Policy is currently edited by N. France

More articles in Energy Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().