Speaker
Description
European cities are reacting to the climate crisis. Climate planning has exponentially increased in recent years, but a gap remains between planning and implementing climate actions. While many cities and regions have outlined ambitious strategies, far fewer have turned these plans into tangible results. There is a need to act faster to keep global warming within 2ºC, addressing mitigation and adaptation challenges. Thus, analysing the feasibility of climate actions (e.g., their potential to be implemented) becomes crucial.
However, some might argue that feasibility is no longer solely about implementation but should include the capability to reach climate goals in time and be implemented fairly. The feasibility of climate actions depends on a combination of factors. First, context is critical. Economic conditions, social dynamics, governance systems, and legislative frameworks all influence whether an action can succeed. For example, regions with stronger adaptation laws often make more progress in planning and implementing actions. However, even in these regions, changing conditions—such as shifts in political leadership or global crises—can alter what is feasible over time. Second, the role of stakeholders is essential. Feasibility depends on clear responsibilities, adequate resources, and meaningful engagement with all affected groups. A lack of clarity about who is responsible for implementation, funding, or monitoring can derail even the most promising projects. Furthermore, failing to involve vulnerable groups or address justice issues can lead to inequitable or counterproductive actions.
Time also plays a crucial role here. Actions need to be evaluated not only for their immediate feasibility but also for their long-term impact. Planning, implementation, and monitoring are interconnected, and decisions made at any stage can influence outcomes later. Solutions to close such gaps remain between empirical data. Exploring reported data from international initiatives such as the Covenant of May without proper monitoring and contrasting it with detailed information about particular implementation processes reveals important information for the science community and practitioners, which can contribute to closing the gap between planning and implementation.
This session will explore the results obtained after analysing the European adaptation actions reported in the latest dataset released by the Global Covenant of Mayors. Spatial and inferential statistics have been used to identify potential socio-economic and agency-related factors that influence climate action implementation. The results are meant to clarify how such factors can increase the feasibility of actions and identify potential best practices and relevant patterns that can guide the decision-making process.
References
Franco, C. et al. (2024) ‘GCoM datasets: a collection of climate and energy action plans with mitigation, adaptation and energy access commitments’, Scientific Data, 11(1), pp. 1–15. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03613-5.
IPCC (2023) ‘Summary for Policymakers’, in Climate Change 2022 – Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Cambridge University Press, pp. 3–34. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009325844.001.
Jewell, J. and Cherp, A. (2023) ‘The feasibility of climate action: Bridging the inside and the outside view through feasibility spaces’, WIREs Climate Change, 14(5), pp. 1–31. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.838.
Lecocq, F., H. Winkler, J.P. Daka, S. Fu, J.S. Gerber, S. Kartha, V. Krey, H. Lofgren, T. Masui, R. Mathur, J.P.-P. and B. K. Sovacool, M. V. Vilariño, N.Z. (2023) ‘Mitigation and Development Pathways in the Near to Mid-term’, in Climate Change 2022 - Mitigation of Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, pp. 409–502. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157926.006.
Nielsen, K.S. et al. (2020) ‘Improving Climate Change Mitigation Analysis: A Framework for Examining Feasibility’, One Earth, 3(3), pp. 325–336. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.08.007.
Singh, C. et al. (2020) ‘Assessing the feasibility of adaptation options: methodological advancements and directions for climate adaptation research and practice’, CLIMATIC CHANGE, 162(2), pp. 255–277. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-020-02762-x.
| Keywords | feasibility; implementation; adaptation; Europe |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
