Climate Transition Capacity at Local Level – (How) Does Size Matter?

Abstract

Rapid climate transitions existing institutional framework and traditional roles. Local government are often the key actors to act upon climate change – both in reducing emissions and adapt to climate changes. However, their ability to act differ – and we see a wide variety among municipalities when it comes to transition capacity (Eckersley et al 2025). This leads us back to one of the key questions in local government literature: Does size matters? Not necessarily, as existing literature find that large cities are haunted by strong compartmentalization and lack of coordination between municipal agencies. In this panel, the papers scrutinize how size matters – and if there is an ideal size of municipalities that handle the twin challenge of climate mitigation and adaption simultaneously. In addition, a special focus will be on what types of local leadership that strengthen transition capacity.

Title	Details
Why Some Municipalities Lead in Radical and Inclusive Climate Action: Insights from Norway	View Paper Details
Understanding the Power of ‘Place’ in Local Climate Policy-Making	View Paper Details
Strategic Planning for Climate and Nature: Which Factors Strengthen Local Political Leadership to Avoid Loss of Nature in Their Land-Use Planning? (No-Net-Land Take)?	View Paper Details
Local Responses to a Global Challenge: A Comparative Analysis of How Local Government In Cork City And Uppsala is Adapting to the Climate Crisis	View Paper Details
Collaborating to Address Climate Change: The Diffusion of Local Climate Advisory Committees in the State of Hesse in Central Germany	View Paper Details