How to fight climate change, region by region

The document argues that subnational governments can lead the fight against climate change and calls for national leaders to align their plans with these efforts. It highlights specific regional successes: Québec's linked carbon market with California, the Basque Country's Local Agenda 21 for municipal sustainability, and South Australia's rapid increase in renewable energy penetration. The authors assert that decoupling economic growth from emissions is possible, as their regions have reduced emissions to 1990 levels or below while doubling their economies.

• Subnational governments in the States & Regions Alliance have successfully reduced greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels or below while simultaneously more than doubling the size of their economies.
• Québec utilizes a carbon market covering 85% of its greenhouse gas emissions, which it linked with California's on January 1, 2014, to create North America's largest regional carbon market. The province intends to invest over $3.3 billion by 2020 via its Green Fund to reduce emissions and support climate adaptation.
• The Basque Country implemented the Local Agenda 21 program, leading nearly all of its municipalities to adopt sustainability plans encompassing over 25,000 projects focused on economic development, waste management, and mobility.
• South Australia increased the share of renewables in its power generation from nearly zero in 2003 to almost 40% by the time of publication. The state holds over 40% of Australia's operating wind-power capacity and has a high solar penetration rate, with one in four households using a photovoltaic system.
• The authors set specific emission reduction targets: the Basque Country and Québec aim for a 20% reduction by 2020, while South Australia targets a 60% reduction by 2050.

APA

Couillard, P., Urkullu, I., & Weatherill, J. (2015). How to fight climate change, region by region. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-to-fight-climate-change-region-by-region/

Chicago

Couillard, Philippe, Idigo Urkullu, and Jay Weatherill. How to fight climate change, region by region. World Economic Forum, 2015. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-to-fight-climate-change-region-by-region/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Couillard |first1=Philippe |last2=Urkullu |first2=Idigo |last3=Weatherill |first3=Jay |title=How to fight climate change, region by region |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=2 April 2015 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-to-fight-climate-change-region-by-region/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{couillard2015how, author = {Couillard, Philippe and Urkullu, Idigo and Weatherill, Jay}, title = {{How to fight climate change, region by region}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = apr, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/how-to-fight-climate-change-region-by-region/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }