The Importance of “Subnational” Actors in Fighting Climate Change
By Zhihong “Helen” Han,
Co-Director of Outreach & Institutional Liaison, McCourt E&E
With an uncertain future for U.S. climate change policy at the federal level, leadership from the state and city level has never been more important. These “subnational” actors have already shown themselves capable of becoming engines of ingenuity in states like California (which is the 5th largest economy in the world and a global climate leader in its own right), Vermont (which, along with New England as a whole is already experiencing many effects from climate change), and cities like New York and D.C. which are both remaking transportation systems and building design to be more green. Cities and states all over the world are following suit and are seeking to implement green policies that will ensure their sustainability. According to a 2014 U.N. report World Urbanization Prospects, 54% of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. By 2050, that proportion will increase to 66% with another 2.5 billion people added to urban areas by that time. The world’s urban population alone is expected to surpass 6 billion by 2045. The report also projects that by 2030, there will be 41 “mega-cities” with 10 million inhabitants or more (up from just 10 in 1990).
These shifting demographics are striking. The importance of governors, mayors, and other state and local leaders being at the table to craft effective climate policies will no doubt grow in the coming decades. The stakes are high to ensure cities and states green as they grow and that coastal cities implement effective adaption plans to rising seas and storm surge in order to protect their growing populations.
To learn more about what U.S. communities are doing to better protect themselves from climate risks like flooding, heatwaves, wildfires, and severe storms, click here for a new report conducted by Abt Associates. Vicki Arroyo, the Executive Director of the Georgetown Climate Center, served on the Project Advisory Committee for the report. The Center released the report at a press conference during this year’s U.N. climate conference in Marrakesh, Morocco (COP22). The report is the first study to examine in depth actions that 17 municipalities are taking to address climate change-fueled events.
While at COP22, I had the chance to attend a few events that focused on the importance of subnational actors. Here’s what I learned from two events on Thursday, November 17th hosted by the Climate Action Reserve, The Climate Registry, and the Georgetown Climate Center:
California: change of federal policies will not stop state actions on climate change
“If the new administration will change the direction, it is not our intent to change any program that we were committed to and programs we have already started.”
— Matt Rodriquez, Secretary for Environmental Protection of California
California has already implemented many programs to move toward a clean energy economy, increase energy efficiency, incentivize low-carbon transportation, and to promote more sustainable lifestyles. Specific programs and standards including the renewable portfolio standard targets to increase the share of renewable energy, low carbon fuel standard that was designed to reduce the carbon content of fuels by promoting zero-emission vehicles; energy efficiency programs to cut down energy use; and carbon emission trading program that will be linked to Quebec and Ontario. According to Secretary Rodriquez, California is committed to move forward on all fronts despite federal government action (or inaction). California state leaders understand that there is no one way for all jurisdictions in the world to reduce emissions but they hope to foster collaboration between different cities, states, and geographic regions to address climate change as aggressively as possible. According to Secretary Rodriquez, “ the number one path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is through subnational collaboration. Collaboration is key to finding climate solutions.”
We have seen the emergence of subnational leadership on climate change, like in California, over the years not only when national governments are making progress with active climate change policies, but also when national government are reticent on climate policies. We saw this in the US during the Bush Administration when state action was just beginning with renewable portfolio standards and during the Harper Administration in Canada when Provinces like Quebec and British Columbia put a price on carbon despite the fact that the national government was doing very little.
Vermont: state-level leadership on climate change really matters, particularly in regards to adaptation
“It’s the states and cities that are dealing with climate change and we are looking for solutions.”
— Deb Markowitz, Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
U.S. states and cities are experiencing the impacts of climate change now. According to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, “since 1970 average annual temperatures across the Northeast have risen more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit, and winter temperatures have risen around 4 degrees. If the current rate of heat-trapping emissions continues, summers in Boston in the year 2070 will feel like those of South Carolina today. By the end of the century, average winter and summer temperatures in the Northeast could rise up to 12 and 14 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively. Cities across New England, which historically experience a few days per year above 100 degrees each summer, could average 20 such days per summer, while more southern cities such as Hartford could average nearly 30 days.”
Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Deb Markowitz, echoed these fears and projections at COP22. She discussed how climate change in Vermont was leading to warmer winters, reduced snowfall and snow-on-ground days, earlier spring runoff, sea-level rise, increased total rainfall, and more severe weather events that result in increased risk of flooding.
It seems that subnational actors across the U.S. will need to be on the frontlines of both climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. The good news is that they seem to be recognizing these challenges and taking steps to address them. 1 in 20 jobs in Vermont are now in the green energy economy. Vermont is heavily investing in power grid stability, resiliency, and weatherization programs. Vermont is part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) which is “the nation’s first mandatory GHG pollution reduction program for power sector CO2 emissions. RGGI establishes a regional cap on the amount of CO2 pollution that power plants can emit, by issuing a limited number of tradable CO2 allowances.” Vermont has brought billions of investment to the state from RGGI and their thermal energy and efficiency programs are projected to save 3,363 households and 206 businesses an estimated $111 million on their energy bills. To learn more, click here.
Washington State: states have the authority to act on climate
“States can lead on reducing carbon, increase fuel efficiency, create green jobs, & in some cases outpace national action. Combined with the return on the investments of these actions and the authority at the state level, we should be optimistic about what can be done by the states over the coming years. ”
— Chris Davis, Senior Adviser Governor’ Inslee
In the past decade alone, states have created hundreds of thousands jobs in the clean energy economy. According to Chris Davis, Senior Adviser to Governor Jay Inslee, here’s just some of what states can do with their constitutional authority:
1. States can prioritize clean energy investment and deployment and set policies that incorporate larger amounts of renewables into the grid.
2. States’ fuel efficiency standards can be the model for, and exceed, the federal standard.
3. States can take on building codes and land usage to promote greener policies.
4. States can place a price on carbon and implement trading schemes to reduce GHG emissions.
State leadership in Washington has led to state to become a leader in renewable energy production (at over 70% carbon free and rising). From 2004 to 2014 they went from basically no utility-scale wind to 3000 megawatts and investment of some 5.7 billion dollars of capital much of which flowed into rural communities and increased local revenue streams. And the clean tech industry in the state of Washington employs nearly 90,000 workers and is backed by more than a billion dollars in venture capital.
Ways forward: collaboration is key
It’s no coincidence that states are fast becoming clean energy economic powerhouses and incubators of innovation. States acting in what they see as their own economic self interest in building their green economies. This will continue regardless of federal leadership but collaboration between cities, states, and regions, will be key to fully realizing their potential. In addition, subnational actors will play an increasingly greater level of importance at the international level. It was at COP22 in Morocco that I learned about everything about what subnational actors are doing in the U.S., after all.
International frameworks like the Under 2 MOU — which brings together 165 jurisdictions representing 33 countries and six continents — will be important forums for subnational dialogue and collaboration. The Under 2 coalition has a shared goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their jurisdictions 80–95% by 2050. Through subnational action, it’s possible we may still be able to hit our Paris Agreement goals and keep the world on a sustainable climate path.
Helen is a second-year MPP candidate with a focus on energy & environmental policies. Coming from China, she understands the consequences of environmental issues such as air pollution. She believes that putting a price on carbon is a good way to combat climate change and drive business decisions into a low-carbon direction. She spent her last summer at the World Bank with Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition. Primarily, the coalition is trying to bring together government, business and civil society to discuss the idea of carbon pricing. The experience of working in an international organization provides her the opportunity to meet people who care about climate change and are ready to make an effort to combat this all over the world. She holds a Bachelor degree in Economics. In China, she interned at Center for Energy and Environmental Policy at Beijing Institute of Technology and researched China’s energy and environmental policies.
