Local Authorities and Climate Change

This chapter examines whether and how local authorities may address climate change, with regard to the scholarly literature and current legal trends. The focus is municipal authorities, especially those that govern cities. The chapter discusses a number of salient academic debates about the opportunities for and barriers to local climate action. The actual practices of local governments in regard to climate change, such as specific laws and policies, are not considered in detail because of insufficient space, but relevant literature is cited to enable readers to explore such details. The chapter concludes with some recommended directions for future scholarly research.