The Role of Regions in Climate Change Policy

The document examines the critical role of regional governments in implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation policies, noting that while national governments negotiate international targets, regions often hold the actual competencies for execution. It analyzes 23 regions, highlighting a variety of instruments such as carbon taxes, subsidies, and cap-and-trade systems. A detailed case study of the Basque Country's 'Basque Plan to Combat Climate Change 2008-2012' illustrates how a small, industrialised region can set specific targets for GHG emissions and carbon sinks while coordinating across multiple policy sectors.

• Regional governments are essential to climate policy because they possess the competencies to implement actions in key sectors such as energy, transport, industry, housing, and environment, creating a 'paradox of the lent targets' where national governments are legally bound by international agreements but regions perform the actual implementation.
• Analysis of 23 leading regions shows a diversity in target-setting; some adopt national goals while others set more ambitious independent targets, such as California's law to achieve 1990 GHG emission levels by 2020 despite a lack of federal commitment to Kyoto Protocol targets at the time of writing.
• The most common policy instruments used by regions for climate mitigation include subsidy schemes, energy standards for housing and industry, carbon taxation, cap-and-trade systems, and public procurement.
• The Basque Country's climate strategy, specifically the Basque Plan to Combat Climate Change 2008-2012, aims to limit GHG emission growth to 14% relative to 1990 levels and increase carbon sink removal capability to 1% of Kyoto base year emissions.
• The Basque Country established the Basque Climate Change Office (BCCO) to coordinate the implementation of its climate plan, focusing on four tasks: implementing the BPCCC, promoting research, coordinating planning, and raising awareness.
• Adaptation policies at the regional level are less standardized than mitigation efforts, focusing primarily on vulnerability and resilience research, with specific regional focuses such as water management in Cataluña and public health and permafrost melting in Quebec.

APA

Galarraga, I., González-Eguino, M., & Markandya, A. (2009). The Role of Regions in Climate Change Policy. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20091020020400931764807.pdf

Chicago

Galarraga, Ibon, Mikel González-Eguino, and Anil Markandya. The Role of Regions in Climate Change Policy. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2009. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20091020020400931764807.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Galarraga |first1=Ibon |last2=González-Eguino |first2=Mikel |last3=Markandya |first3=Anil |title=The Role of Regions in Climate Change Policy |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=September 2009 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20091020020400931764807.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{galarraga2009role, author = {Galarraga, Ibon and González-Eguino, Mikel and Markandya, Anil}, title = {{The Role of Regions in Climate Change Policy}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2009}, month = sep, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/20091020020400931764807.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }