Climate change: a ‘glocal’ problem requiring ‘glocal’ action

Abstract

It is generally assumed that global problems like climate change call for global solutions, which are then implemented at different administrative levels. This paper attempts to deconstruct climate change in physical terms to assess its global through to local characteristics, presents existing policy frameworks at different levels, and then discusses some theoretical and practical aspects of policymaking. It investigates the policy space at different administrative levels to see if it is possible to complement the slow global action with local action that goes beyond that strictly speaking needed for implementation. The paper argues that climate change is a problem that is both global and local in nature, that policy responses are possible at multiple administrative levels, and that there is considerable politics in the way responsibilities are assigned to different levels.

Keywords:

• Climate change
• administrative levels
• policy measures

Acknowledgements

This paper has been written as part of the European Commission Asia Link project on Euro-Asian Research and Training in Climate Change Management (contract number 2985349), the Netherlands Government BSIK projects “Climate Change and Spatial Planning: Solutions from a Multilevel Governance Perspective” and “Land Use and Climate Change” as well as the Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research project “Intergovernmental and Private International Governance: Good Governance, the Rule of Law and Sustainable Development” (contract number 452-02-03).

Notes

1. On 1 June 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger of California signed Executive Order # S-3-05 which lists these targets; see for more details the website of the government in California on the issue of climate change – http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/climate_action_team/