scholarly journals Clothing the Emperor: Supporting National Climate Change Action in Ireland Through Local Governance Networks

2021 ◽  
pp. 109-127
Author(s):  
Glen Smith

AbstractThe Irish Government has set out policies and a governance framework for implementing action on climate change. However, the potential for local governance architecture to support this process has perhaps been overlooked. This chapter explores how this architecture is not an obstacle in implementing change, but a potential asset, and how it could be mobilised and enticed to deliver a lot more on climate action, sustainable development and disaster risk reduction (DRR). The coastal town of Youghal in County Cork provides an Irish case study through which the value of local governance for climate action is expounded. The chapter also recommends further research to consider the potential for local focus groups to seek sustainable pathways. The ‘sustainable pathways’ concept encourages broad input into decision points that support the selection of sustainable future trajectories, based on an understanding of risk, vulnerability and opportunity.

2021 ◽  
pp. 65-80
Author(s):  
Shona K. Paterson ◽  
Kristen Guida

AbstractChanging climates and increasing variability, in combination with maladaptive societal responses, present many threats and risks to both social and biophysical systems. The outcomes of such changes will progressively affect all aspects of ecosystem functioning including social, political, and economic landscapes. Coordination between the three frameworks that govern risk at national and subnational scales, climate change risk assessments, climate adaptation planning and disaster risk reduction (DRR), is often lacking or limited. This has resulted in a siloed and fragmented approach to climate action. By examining risk as a dynamic social construction that is reimagined and reinvented by society over time, this chapter explores how a greater degree of cohesion between these three frameworks might be achieved.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 6299
Author(s):  
Makenzie MacKay ◽  
Brenda Parlee ◽  
Carrie Karsgaard

While there are many studies about the environmental impacts of climate change in the Canadian north, the role of Indigenous youth in climate governance has been a lesser focus of inquiry. A popularized assumption in some literature is that youth have little to contribute to discussions on climate change and other aspects of land and resource management; such downplay of youth expertise and engagement may be contributing to climate anxiety (e.g., feelings of hopelessness), particularly in remote communities. Creating opportunities for youth to have a voice in global forums such as the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP24) on Climate Change may offset such anxiety. Building on previous research related to climate action, and the well-being of Indigenous youth, this paper shares the outcomes of research with Indigenous youth (along with family and teachers) from the Mackenzie River Basin who attended COP24 to determine the value of their experience. Key questions guiding these interviews included: How did youth impact others? and How did youth benefit from the experience? Key insights related to the value of a global experience; multiple youth presentations at COP24 were heard by hundreds of people who sought to learn more from youth about their experience of climate change. Additional insights were gathered about the importance of family and community (i.e., webs of support); social networks were seen as key to the success of youth who participated in the event and contributed to youth learning and leadership development.


Author(s):  
Million Gebreyes ◽  
Kindie Tesfaye ◽  
Beneberu Feleke

Purpose The recently released fifth IPCC report indicates a high agreement among global actors on the need to integrate climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR). However, there remains little local level evidence on how DRR and CCA could be linked, the sorts of adjustments that are required for the two concepts to be integrated and the challenges ahead. This paper aims to provide an empirical insight on the possible links and departures between DRR and CCA. Design/methodology/approach The study used a qualitative case study approach to excavate lessons from an existing DRR intervention for CCA using a local-level adaptive capacity assessment framework as a normative criteria. Data was collected both from primary and secondary sources. The primary data collection involved the use of participatory rural appraisal techniques with village communities in Chifra District, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia. Findings The findings showed that the DRR interventions studied addressed parts of the elements of adaptive capacity at the local level. The findings also showed the limitation of the DRR intervention, which could be attributed to both the nature of the DRR interventions in general and implementation problems of the case study intervention in particular. The limitations show cases where full integration of DRR with CCA could be challenging. Originality/value The paper argues why the two approaches may not be integrated fully and also shows the need to focus on the design of DRR interventions in achieving both short-term (reducing disaster risks) and long-term objectives (enhancing adaptive capacity).


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Rimmer

Refereed Article. Matthew Rimmer, ‘Divest New York: The City of New York, C40, Fossil Fuel Divestment, and Climate Litigation’, (2019) 14 The Newcastle Law Review 51-77. Abstract In a case study of the City of New York, this paper explores and analyses civic, municipal narratives about climate activism, local government, fossil fuel divestment and climate litigation. Part 1 considers the integral part of the City of New York in the establishment and the evolution of the C40 Network. Part 2 focuses upon the fossil fuel divestment decision of the City of New York, and its commitment to reinvestment in respect of renewable energy and climate solutions. Part 3 examines the unsuccessful climate litigation by the City of New York against a number of major oil companies for damage caused by climate change, and the prospects of a future appeal. This paper contends that the City of New York provides an exceptional example for other cities seeking to support climate action.


Urban Studies ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Foss

Cities are often touted as climate change leaders in the USA and all cities across the country are affected by climate change, but little is known about climate action in politically conservative cities. Using document analysis and interviews, an in-depth case study of two cities in the conservative Dallas-Fort Worth region of Texas examines how public participation and cultural framing contribute to sustainability and climate change planning. One city successfully adopted sustainability plans, while the other city was unable to do so. Comparison of the two cases reveals that carefully designed public participation processes and locally relevant cultural frames can help cities educate residents, build support and expand discussion of sustainability. However, economic development, competition and political controversy prevent cities from addressing climate change explicitly or in meaningful ways, raising concerns about the capacity of cities to act as climate change leaders.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 555-570
Author(s):  
K. Fagiewicz ◽  
P. Churski ◽  
T. Herodowicz ◽  
P. Kaczmarek ◽  
P. Lupa ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study determines the conditions and provides a recommendation for fostering cocreation for climate change adaptation and mitigation (CCA&M). In postulating that insufficient cocreation by stakeholders in the quadruple helix model is an important factor contributing to the low effectiveness of climate actions in the regions, we have focused our research on identifying real stakeholder engagement in climate action and identifying the needs, barriers, and drivers for strengthening the cocreation process. We identified the needs for action highlighted by stakeholders as having an impact on reducing barriers and stimulating drivers. We treated the identified needs for action as deep leverage points (intent and design) focused on three realms—knowledge, values, and institutions—in which engagement and cocreation can be strengthened and have the potential to increase the effectiveness of climate action taken by stakeholders within our quadruple helix. We recommend knowledge-based cocreation, which puts the importance of climate action in the value system and leads to paradigm reevaluation. The implementation of the identified needs for action requires the support of institutions, whereby they develop standards of cooperation and mechanisms for their implementation as a sustainable framework for stakeholder cooperation. The research has proved how the quadruple helix operates for climate action in the Poznań Agglomeration. We believe that this case study can be a reference point for regions at a similar level of development, and the methods used and results obtained can be applied in similar real contexts to foster local stakeholders in climate action.


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