Powers and capacities of state and regional governments

This research paper examines the 'power to act' of state and regional governments regarding climate mitigation, identifying that while these entities possess significant financial and regulatory hard powers—particularly in decentralized countries and within the agriculture, buildings, and transport sectors—their progress is primarily hindered by limitations in human capacity, financing, and information.

• State and regional governments possess substantial financial and regulatory 'hard powers,' especially in decentralized or federal systems. These powers are most prominent in the transport, buildings, and agriculture sectors, enabling regions to pursue ambitious climate actions independently or alongside national governments.
• Regions lacking hard powers can still influence climate action via 'soft' powers like agenda setting and framing, though this effectiveness decreases when there is a lack of political alignment between regional and national governments. While climate change is a high priority in surveyed regions and linked to sustainable development goals (SDGs), it ranks lower in developing countries due to competing priorities such as security, health, and poverty.
• The primary obstacle to further climate action for states and regions is a lack of human capacity within government agencies and ministries. This is the most frequent barrier, followed by a lack of financing and a lack of information.

APA

NewClimate Institute (2023). Powers and capacities of state and regional governments. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/powers-and-capacities-of-state-and-regional-governments

Chicago

NewClimate Institute. Powers and capacities of state and regional governments. 2023. http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/powers-and-capacities-of-state-and-regional-governments.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NewClimate Institute |title=Powers and capacities of state and regional governments |date=11 July 2023 |url=http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/powers-and-capacities-of-state-and-regional-governments |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{newclimateinstitute2023powers, author = {{NewClimate Institute}}, title = {{Powers and capacities of state and regional governments}}, institution = {NewClimate Institute}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {http://www.newclimate.org/resources/publications/powers-and-capacities-of-state-and-regional-governments}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }