@article{OttoKernHauptetal.2021, author = {Otto, Antje and Kern, Kristine and Haupt, Wolfgang and Eckersley, Peter and Thieken, Annegret}, title = {Ranking local climate policy}, series = {Climatic change : an interdisciplinary, international journal devoted to the description, causes and implications of climatic change}, volume = {167}, journal = {Climatic change : an interdisciplinary, international journal devoted to the description, causes and implications of climatic change}, number = {1-2}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {Dordrecht}, issn = {0165-0009}, doi = {10.1007/s10584-021-03142-9}, pages = {23}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Climate mitigation and climate adaptation are crucial tasks for urban areas and can involve synergies as well as trade-offs. However, few studies have examined how mitigation and adaptation efforts relate to each other in a large number of differently sized cities, and therefore we know little about whether forerunners in mitigation are also leading in adaptation or if cities tend to focus on just one policy field. This article develops an internationally applicable approach to rank cities on climate policy that incorporates multiple indicators related to (1) local commitments on mitigation and adaptation, (2) urban mitigation and adaptation plans and (3) climate adaptation and mitigation ambitions. We apply this method to rank 104 differently sized German cities and identify six clusters: climate policy leaders, climate adaptation leaders, climate mitigation leaders, climate policy followers, climate policy latecomers and climate policy laggards. The article seeks explanations for particular cities' positions and shows that coping with climate change in a balanced way on a high level depends on structural factors, in particular city size, the pathways of local climate policies since the 1990s and funding programmes for both climate mitigation and adaptation.}, language = {en} } @article{Bilgen2022, author = {Bilgen, Isa}, title = {{\"O}kologische Langzeitverantwortung im Verfassungswandel}, series = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Lebensrecht}, volume = {31}, journal = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Lebensrecht}, number = {4}, publisher = {Duncker \& Humblot}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {0944-4521}, doi = {10.3790/zfl.31.4.453}, pages = {453 -- 466}, year = {2022}, abstract = {In its "Windenergie"-decision, the BVerfG declared the legal obligation of wind turbine operators to involve citizens and communities in the vicinity of new wind farms in the projects essentially to be constitutional. The intention of the discussed provisions to promote acceptance for the expansion of wind energy serves the climate protection requirement under Article 20a Grundgesetz. The decision continues the line of the "Klimaschutz"-decision. The legal obligation of private persons is based on the factual necessity of the participation of all social actors to prevent climate change. The ecological long-term responsibility in Article 20a Grundgesetz is moved into the private sphere and thus, to a certain extent, subjectivized. These decisions pave the way for a constitutional change. They open up new perspectives for taking account of Article 20a Grundgesetz when weighing up the interests of freedom. Following the logic of the BVerfG, not only companies but also individuals would have to be obliged. In light of the decision, this article examines the possibilities of an emerging constitutional change toward a basic obligation (Grundpflicht) to use freedom in a sustainable manner. Thus, the discussed decision has a fundamental significance that has been too little appreciated and underestimated so far.}, language = {de} }