Local climate action and devolution

The transition is locked in a double bind: cities and regions may hold the key. Earlier this week, in Paris, mayors of leading cities marked the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. Their message was clear: cities are not waiting. They act — often faster than national governments — to decarbonise urban life and deliver social progress. I highlighted these successes and shared a conviction I hold with C40 Cities’s Mark Watts: if we want to accelerate delivery in the next decade, we must empower those closest to communities — local governments. https://lnkd.in/ddVcN-_t Meanwhile, in London, the COP30 Presidency and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the COP30 Local Leaders Forum, a high-level event just before COP30 to highlight local governments’ actions and needs to achieve ambitious transition goals. https://lnkd.in/d3_4CQNf “Implementation” is the key word for Belém. From subnational leaders to parts of the private sector, momentum is building. But so are the headwinds. Efforts accelerate, yet the conditions to act get harder; awareness grows, but fatigue sets in. A paradox we must confront head-on. Individuals are open to change — but too often aren’t offered serious alternatives. Some companies try to lead — and get penalised as rules can be rewritten overnight. Cities and regions step up — but face chronic under-support: for funding, technical capabilities and political backing. As contradictions pile up, trust erodes. Opponents of the transition claim vindication. Paralysis sets in. Empowering local actors is how we begin to break this deadlock. Cities and regions know their people. They build trust, they directly impact everyday life and they feel more accountable to citizens. They are — and will remain — the stewards of delivery. Let’s give them the tools they need. Beyond the technical dimension lies a democratic imperative. Bringing decisions and execution closer to people is one of the best antidotes we have to the pandemic of distrust — fuelled by climate misinformation and manufactured outrage. That’s what the road to Belém must be about.

🚨Long post alert ! Understanding FLoCCA🚨 📚🤓 FLoCCA, which stands for Financing Locally Led Climate Action, is an initiative designed to empower grassroots communities through local governments to address pressing environmental challenges. It enables counties to develop and implement #climateaction strategies tailored to their unique circumstances by directing resources straight to the counties. The aim of FLoCCA is to decentralize #climatefinance, ensuring that counties facing the worst effects of #climatechange are financially equipped to develop adaptive and mitigative strategies. In Kenya, FLoCCA funds are sourced from national loans, which the central government will eventually need to repay. However, these funds are presented as grants when disbursed to counties. Counties are expected to use these funds to develop climate-resilient infrastructure, enhance local disaster preparedness, and implement projects that protect natural resources. The concept is to encourage locally driven solutions that are more relevant and effective than top-down interventions. Implementation of FLoCCA has been disappointing in many counties. While some counties are showing progress, others are plagued with leadership issues, and funds have been misused or allocated to projects that either fail to materialize or fall short of their goals. For example, Turkana County remains plagued by starvation and food insecurity despite receiving a significant portion of FLoCCA funds. Even in counties where some FLoCCA-funded projects have been completed, the long-term impact is questionable. In Kakamega County, a project to restore degraded lands initially seemed promising but was soon overshadowed by land ownership disputes and conflicts between local communities and government officials. Moreover, the fact that FLoCCA funds are sourced from national loans raises concerns about long-term sustainability. As Kenya’s debt rises, the burden of repaying these loans will ultimately fall on taxpayers. Saying FLoCCA has been a complete failure would be unfair. For instance, Makueni County has successfully used FLoCCA funds to build a robust water harvesting system that significantly improves water access during dry spells. Nakuru and Nyandarua counties are also effectively utilizing FLoCCA funds. To make FLoCCA truly effective, it is crucial to include young people in decision-making and implementation processes. This involves capacity building, providing young people with the skills and knowledge needed to manage climate action projects through targeted training programs, mentorship, and partnerships with experienced organizations. Additionally, there needs to be greater transparency in managing and spending FLoCCA funds. LCOY-KENYA Japheth Orieny Peter Bulimo kelvin muli , MSc #LCOYKE24 #YouthInClimateAction #justclimateaction #ClimateFinance #JustTransition #ClimateMobility

"Clarifying Roles in Climate Change and Environmental Governance: Empowering Provincial Leadership for Sustainable Development" There are ongoing misconceptions about how services are delivered within the Climate Change and Environment Conservation sectors. To provide clarity, each province has an Environmental and Climate Change officer embedded within their Provincial Administration. Provinces hold the authority to enact environmental laws and manage their natural resources. The national agency’s role is primarily to provide oversight and technical guidance to these provincial officers. As outlined in the Organic Law of Provincial and Local Level Government (Sections 90-110), national agencies, by their mandate, do not engage directly in the operational work at the provincial or district levels. The implementation of activities on the ground is the responsibility of the provincial officers, with support from the national agency. It would be best for interested parties to consult your provincial Environmental Officer, as they are responsible for carrying out activities at the local level. This is also true for the Climate Change and Fisheries sectors. When we, as national officers, engage with communities to facilitate government processes such as Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), we do so within our jurisdictional mandate. Over time, it has become evident that the most effective approach is to work closely with Provincial Governments. This ensures that when NGOs conclude their projects, the District and Ward levels are well-positioned to manage and sustain their resources. Empowering local authorities is the key to fostering long-term development. Unfortunately, past misunderstandings about our respective roles have led to challenges in achieving sustainable progress over the last 10 to 20 years. Photo Credit: A teacher's hauskuk (external kitchen) in Kamiali Primary School, Salamaua LLG, Huon Gulf District, Morobe Province, picture taken during Leatherback Turtle Nesting Monitoring Period,CEPA Marine Ecosystems Branch 2023. #BiodiversityandClimateAction #LocalLeadership #EnvironmentalSustainability #ProvincialEmpowerment #PartnershipsForChange #SustainableDevelopment

This afternoon, I decided to try something new: local climate action. I googled “Lake Oswego" (where I live) and "Climate Action Plan” and up came our city’s Sustainability and Climate Action Plan (SCAP) and its 2023 Progress Report. I downloaded both and got to work. To make sense of it all, I asked ChatGPT to break it down: What are Lake Oswego's top emissions sources? Transportation (30%) Buildings and electricity use (over 20%) Consumption and waste (the rest) What actions are being taken? EV infrastructure, energy efficiency upgrades and water conservation. How are we doing? 10 actions complete, 33 in progress, 20 not yet started. Biggest gaps? Transportation and building emissions — we’ve got work to do! ⚡ How is Lake Oswego progressing on greening their grid? In 2019, Lake Oswego signed a Power Purchase Agreement through PGE’s Green Future Impact program, helping build Pachwaywit Fields, now Oregon’s largest solar facility. ✅ Today, 55% of city electricity comes directly from this new solar source ✅ All eligible City accounts use 100% renewable electricity 🌱 Long-term goal: 100% of the grid clean by 2035 through Oregon’s Renewable Portfolio Standard BUT...... The Climate Action Plan was written in 2017, leveraging 2012 data. Since then, the world, and the risks, have changed. For example, the plan's resilience section only addresses wildfire smoke, not: grid vulnerability, extreme heat, winter storm risk (like what we saw in early 2024). So I’m making it a goal to engage with the city and community on updating the SCAP and filling gaps, especially to strengthen our climate resilience. Next up? I’m joining others who care, because individual action is powerful, but collective action is how we shift systems: ✅ Planning to attend a Lake Oswego Sustainability Network meeting ✅ Blocking time for the Lake Oswego Sustainability Advisory Board meeting on August 15 There! I did it, and you can too. 🧭 Want to try? Google your city + “climate action plan.” See what’s already happening, where the gaps are, and how to get those gaps filled. Research the grid mix and reliability where you live, and what your city is doing about it. Then find people you can engage with to make change. Let’s share what we find and build a groundswell from the ground up. #LocalClimateAction #Sustainability #ClimateResilience #CommunityPower #ElectrifyEverything #CollectiveAction #GreenTheGrid #CivicEngagement