• search hit 1 of 1
Back to Result List

Cities to the rescue? Assessing the performance of transnational municipal networks in global climate governance

  • Despite the proliferation and promise of subnational climate initiatives, the institutional architecture of transnational municipal networks (TMNs) is not well understood. With a view to close this research gap, the article empirically assesses the assumption that TMNs are a viable substitute for ambitious international action under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It addresses the aggregate phenomenon in terms of geographical distribution, central players, mitigation ambition and monitoring provisions. Examining thirteen networks, it finds that membership in TMNs is skewed toward Europe and North America while countries from the Global South are underrepresented; that only a minority of networks commit to quantified emission reductions and that these are not more ambitious than Parties to the UNFCCC; and finally that the monitoring provisions are fairly limited. In sum, the article shows that transnational municipal networks are not (yet) the representative, ambitious and transparent player they areDespite the proliferation and promise of subnational climate initiatives, the institutional architecture of transnational municipal networks (TMNs) is not well understood. With a view to close this research gap, the article empirically assesses the assumption that TMNs are a viable substitute for ambitious international action under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It addresses the aggregate phenomenon in terms of geographical distribution, central players, mitigation ambition and monitoring provisions. Examining thirteen networks, it finds that membership in TMNs is skewed toward Europe and North America while countries from the Global South are underrepresented; that only a minority of networks commit to quantified emission reductions and that these are not more ambitious than Parties to the UNFCCC; and finally that the monitoring provisions are fairly limited. In sum, the article shows that transnational municipal networks are not (yet) the representative, ambitious and transparent player they are thought to be.show moreshow less

Export metadata

Additional Services

Search Google Scholar Statistics
Metadaten
Author details:Jennifer S. BansardORCiD, Philipp H. PattbergORCiDGND, Oscar WiderbergORCiD
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-016-9318-9
ISSN:1567-9764
ISSN:1573-1553
Title of parent work (English):International environmental agreements: politics, law and economics
Publisher:Springer
Place of publishing:Dordrecht
Publication type:Article
Language:English
Year of first publication:2017
Publication year:2017
Release date:2020/04/20
Tag:Cities and regions; Climate change; Transnational networks; Urban politics
Volume:17
Number of pages:18
First page:229
Last Page:246
Organizational units:Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Sozialwissenschaften
Peer review:Referiert
Accept ✔
This website uses technically necessary session cookies. By continuing to use the website, you agree to this. You can find our privacy policy here.