Publication - Can cities realise their climate potential? Reflections on COP21 Paris and beyond

A commentary by Harriet Bulkeley of the GUST project on cities and COP21. Municipal authorities and communities are part of a growing swell of non-state actors who have shifted from the margins of the climate negotiations to being central to their dynamics. The presence of cities within what is an ostensibly international arena has posed something of a challenge for both research and policy communities – where exactly do they fit, what are they doing, and how can we account for their responses? In the run up to COP21, cities are seeking to define their roles much more explicitly as critical to the achievement of international agreements and to their translation into meaningful action on the ground.

Bulkeley, H. (2015) Can cities realise their climate potential? Reflections on COP21 Paris and beyond. Local Environment.