Conducting climate policy presents local governments with an unprecedented challenge. Our survey of local governments earlier showed that many are struggling with several bottlenecks. No less than 92% of respondents consider it unfeasible to meet the targets under current conditions. Solving these bottlenecks partly requires a response from higher authorities. Reviewing the funding mechanism for local energy and climate policy is one of them. In addition, we also see several internal recruitments lying ahead for local governments to increase their governance capacity on this topic.
The focus on improving internal organisation is often overlooked but is not illogical. To win the champions league in the first place, you need a top coach and top team, not just the right equipment. The climate challenge is no exception.
A strong anchoring of the climate policy theme in the organisation is a basic prerequisite for achieving strong results in implementing that policy. Science tells us that strong anchoring of the policy theme happens at 3 levels:
- Anchoring through the organisational structure
- Anchoring through policy planning
- Anchoring through practical implementation
We developed a quick test that allows local governments to check for themselves how strongly the energy and climate policy issue is already embedded in their organisation.