Decarbonising electricity: national and city governments

The paper outlines how national and city governments can collaborate to decarbonise the power sector, emphasizing that local governments are a 'missing link' due to urban areas accounting for two thirds of global final energy consumption. It advocates for a '3D' transition—decentralisation, digitalisation, and decarbonisation—where local governments accelerate national efforts by reforming regulations, investing in renewable infrastructure, and engaging communities, provided they are supported by national policies.

• Urban areas are critical to energy transition efforts because they account for two thirds of the world's final energy consumption, making local governments a vital link in achieving climate goals.
• Decarbonising electricity requires a '3D' transition of the power sector, where the decentralisation of urban power systems, supported by digitalisation, offers national governments new pathways to reduce carbon emissions.
• Local governments can accelerate national energy transitions through specific actions such as updating local regulations for new technology deployment, investing in renewable energy infrastructure, and facilitating community participation in decision-making.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2021). Decarbonising electricity: national and city governments. https://www.sei.org/publications/decarbonising-electricity-national-and-city-governments

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Decarbonising electricity: national and city governments. 2021. https://www.sei.org/publications/decarbonising-electricity-national-and-city-governments.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Decarbonising electricity: national and city governments |date=11 March 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/decarbonising-electricity-national-and-city-governments |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2021decarbonising, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Decarbonising electricity: national and city governments}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/decarbonising-electricity-national-and-city-governments}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }