Understanding how and why cities engage with climate policy: an analysis of local climate action in Spain and Italy

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Issue date
2015-11-01Author
De Gregorio Hurtado,Sonia
Olazabal, Marta
Salvia, Monica
Pietrapertosa, Filomena
Geneletti, Davide
D'Alonzo,Valentina
Senatro Di Leo
Reckien, Diana
Suggested citation
De Gregorio Hurtado,Sonia;
Olazabal, Marta;
Salvia, Monica;
Pietrapertosa, Filomena;
Olazabal, Eduardo;
Geneletti, Davide;
...
Reckien, Diana.
(2015)
.
Understanding how and why cities engage with climate policy: an analysis of local climate action in Spain and Italy.
TeMA. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 2015, p. 23-46.
https://doi.org/10.6092/1970-9870/3649.
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Show full item recordAbstract
Cities significantly contribute to climate change and at the same
time have governance capacity to act efficiently in the field
s of mitigation and
adaptation. Their capacity is being increasi
ngly recognized by international institutions and has been pointed out as crucial i
n the multi-level
government scenario of the European Union (EU). Addressing the ch
allenges of climate change at urban level is a complex issue w
hich
requires a holistic approach to strategic urban planning. Unders
tanding why and how cities start action can help to identify th
e barriers they
face when addressing climate change, and how national government
s, regions and international bodi
es can support local authoriti
es in their
climate fight. This work aims to contribute to the provision of
the knowledge needed to gain a better and deeper insight into u
rban climate
action. The study investigates the state-of
-the-art of urban climate plans in Spain and Italy, two countries which share simila
rities on many
levels (i.e. cultural, geographical, climate vulnerabilities, urban configurations and institutional framework). The research a
nalyses cities that
are included in the Eurostat Urban Audit (U
A), 26 in Spain and 32 in Italy, focusing on
the actions taken by large and medium m
unicipalities
in reducing their contribution to climate change and becoming mo
re resilient to changing weather patterns. The results of the a
nalysis show a
trend towards increasing awarene
ss of climate mitigation (highly focused on ener
gy efficiency and the promotion of cleaner ener
gy sources),
while adaptation remains a local policy area in its infancy in both countries. The study also identifies the beneficial influen
ce of national and
international climate city networks.
Is part of
TeMA. Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, 2015, p. 23-46European research projects
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as cc-by-sa (c) Olazabal et al., 2015
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