Task Force on "Global Climate Change Policy and the Increasing Role of Cities"

This Task Force is chaired by Laurence Tubiana and conducted in partnership with the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).

There has been growing interest from different stakeholders for cities to play a greater role in climate change policy. Urban areas will play a key role in fighting climate change; cities are where environmental and climate change pressures will be among the highest and adaptation needs the most significant. However, cities are also the place where action can be implemented the fastest, thereby giving further momentum to reducing GHG emissions here and now. This is increasingly recognised by policy-makers at member State- or EU-level. 

However at this stage it is not at all clear how these (bottom-up) local initiatives relate to national, EU and especially global climate change policies and actions. While cities can be a driver for accelerated action, in some cases additional incentives will need to be provided. While businesses are generally interested, there are concerns about double-regulation. Will city-level policy reinforce national or EU policy, or will it add an additional layer of regulation, creating inefficiencies and rent-seeking behaviour? Finally, a key issue that is gradually developing concerns the institutional set-up within the EU and the UN, i.e. how can local- and city-level activities be institutionally linked to the post-2012 climate change framework?

The Task Force constitutes a unique forum of representatives from the European Commission (DG Environment, DG Transport & Energy or other DGs), Members of the European Parliament, officials from member States, representatives from cities, local government and their organisations, businesses and industry (e.g. energy supply companies, energy-intensive industries, traders, equipment suppliers and project developers), international organisations, small consumer associations, NGOs and other stakeholders of energy regulators and international organisations, to facilitate an in-depth discussion and provide background research.

The Task Force will meet three times between May and September/October 2009. 

Contact:  Benoit Lefèvre