On Tuesday, August 25, at 2:00 PM GMT / 16:00 CEST, Philipp Pattberg and Oscar Widerberg are presenting work at a webinar hosted by the LEDS Global Partnership working group on Sub-national Integration.

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Here is the description of the event:

LEDS GP Subnational Integration (SNI) Webinar: Low Emission Development Initiatives and the Rise of Non-State Actors: Where, Who, and What

Climate action by cities, regions, companies and NGOs has reinvigorated the debate on global climate governance in the run up to COP21 in Paris. Collaborative initiatives such as the C40 and the “We Mean Business”-coalition engage an impressive amount of actors committing to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Their actions could represent significant, enhanced actions and scaled up new efforts to bring untapped mitigation potential to fruition, should they succeed in achieving the commitments. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) estimates the potential of mitigation from subnational action to nearly 3 Gt of CO2 equivalent – just 0.7 Gt less than total EU’s emissions in 2014 – showing that non-state actors could help close the ambition gap between the national pledges and the decarbonization pathway which leaves us with a reasonable chance to stop warming at 2 degrees Celsius.

Dr. Phillip Pattberg and Oscar Widerberg take a closer look at the commitments made by subnational NSAs- cities, regions and companies.

First, they present the results from their research on a large dataset collected on city-networks. Is this really a global phenomenon or is it more concentrated to pockets of developed country regions? Who are the key actors and where are the overlaps between networks. Why are some cities extremely active whereas others are not? The commitments of cities and regions are examined in detail to understand what they actually sign up to.

Second, they take a closer look at the private sector- companies and their networks. Why and how are companies engaging in global climate governance? Who and where who are they? The companies are also analyzed in terms of GHG emissions to see whether there is enough potential for the initiatives to make a difference.

Third, the discuss what the emergence of non-state actors mean for the overall climate regime. What are the challenges and opportunities for harnessing and integrating the great potentials? Should cities, companies and other subnational NSAs be more formally integrated in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)? And what options do we have moving towards Paris and beyond?

About LEDS Global Partnership

The Low-Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) Global Partnership (GP) was founded in 2011 to enhance coordination, information exchange, and cooperation among countries and international programs working to advance low-emissions, climate-resilient growth. The LEDS GP currently brings together LEDS leaders and practitioners from more than 160 countries and international institutions through innovative peer learning and collaboration forums and networks. For the full list of participants and more information on partnership activities, see ledsgp.org.