The Contribution of Local Action to the overall National and Global Climate Transition

In recent years, municipalities and cities around the world have increasingly adopted local climate action plans that systematise their contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the consequences of climate change. This is also the case in a Danish context, where almost all municipalities are expected to have adopted a climate action plan in accordance with the Paris Agreement by the end of 2023.

Municipal climate action does not take place in a vacuum, but in interaction with national and international actors that set the overall framework for directions and opportunities for climate action, which the municipalities implement, innovate and challenge. The decentralisation of important tasks to Danish municipalities means that in several areas, they have mandate to translate political leadership and agreements into concrete climate action.

In addition, as local, geographically defined entities, municipalities can develop new, innovative climate solutions on a smaller scale, based on local challenges and resources. Finally, municipalities can also challenge national and global targets and through local leadership, help raising the bar for what is considered possible and necessary in the green transition. This paper reviews the various roles that municipalities can take and based on the two major climate challenges, greenhouse gas reduction and climate adaptation, how Danish municipalities are key actors in the transition.

The implementation of national ambitions and international commitments often takes place at the local level where municipalities have a role and regulatory responsibility for important citizen-oriented tasks. The local contribution to national efforts can facilitate a transition that is more contextually adapted, linked to added value and with a greater degree of democratic legitimacy.

Municipal climate action takes place in a dynamic cooperation with national initiatives and between local administrations and other relevant actors. By integrating municipal and regional climate initiatives into the overall national and international transition, local efforts can to a greater extend contribute to accelerating the Danish transition.

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