Reflections on the uptake of climate change policies by local governments: facing the challenges of mitigation and adaptation

Background There is a growing body of literature that examines the role of local governments in addressing climate change vis-a-vis mitigation and adaptation. Although it appears that climate change mitigation strategies - in particular those addressing energy issues - are being adopted by a large majority of local governments, this cannot be said of climate change adaptation. This paper explores the uptake of these two types of climate change policy by local governments in the Netherlands. The central research question is: What lessons can be drawn from comparing the adoption and implementation of local climate change mitigation policies with local climate change adaptation policies in the Netherlands? Our paper contributes to the body of literature on climate change policy implementation, drawing particular attention to the ongoing debate on the institutional dimension of the adaptation-mitigation dichotomy. Methods A comparative case study research design was chosen to study the adoption and implementation of climate change (i) mitigation and (ii) adaptation policies by local governments in the Netherlands during the period 1998 to 2013. The data involved 89 expert interviews and secondary data sources from four research projects conducted by the present authors on local climate change policy implementation. Results Most Dutch municipalities have local climate change policies that address mitigation. Local governments pay relatively little attention to adaptation. The difference is mostly due to the take-up of central government-led policy support schemes aimed at the vertical integration of climate change mitigation policies. Moreover, mitigation is typically framed as an 'energy' issue whereas adaptation is framed as a 'water' issue. This has far-reaching consequences. Climate change adaptation has never been prioritized, nor has it been supported with properly funded policy support schemes. Conclusions In the realm of local climate change policies, adaptation is still considered an 'add-on' to climate change mitigation policy. Moreover, adoption and implementation of both adaptation and mitigation suffers from institutional inertia in Dutch local policy practic

Conclusions

In this volume we focus on the functional advantages for government of participatory processes for decision-making. These functional advantages are specific promises that participation holds. The key promise of participation in this volume is that it leads to better decisions. The main question this volume seeks to answer is what limits and enables information in public participation to lead to better decisions? All chapters in this volume either focus on the use of a particular participatory method in environmental decision-making or on a particular type of environmental related decision-making using participatory methods. The analyses are used as a basis for a review and assessment of the central theme: the relation between the limitations of participation arrangements and decision quality

Introduction

This volume is on the effectiveness of public participation in environmental decision- making. Participation practices are used in many different contexts, and this book relates participation to the context of environmental decision-making. We have interpreted environmental decision-making quite broadly. All types of decisions that have serious environmental implications and that tend to be facilitated by environmental law, or are perceived by citizens as mainly revolving around environmental issues, are included in this volume. Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration 1992 articulates participation in environmental decision-making as one of the key principles of environmental governance.1 This principle is developed in the Aarhus Convention (1998) that includes improving public participation in decisions relating to the environment as one of its three key pillars.2 The importance of public participation for environmental decision-making and sustainable development is recognised by many international organisations (e.g. OAS, 2001; OECD, 2001; EU, 2002a, b; UN, 20023) and national, regional, and local authorities