Large municipalities with environmentally aware councillors are the most climate friendly

21 September 2010

The effects of climate change will be felt most at the municipal level. Dutch researchers from the University of Twente have discovered that the size of a municipality and the political persuasion of the responsible councillor are the most influential factors for a strong climate policy.

The Twente researchers studied the adaptation policies of nine very different municipalities: Tubbergen, Utrecht, Noord-Beveland, Breda, Schiermonnikoog, Terschelling, Almere, Millingen an de Rijn and Nijmegen. Three cities (Utrecht, Breda, Nijmegen) are considered forerunners. The researchers noted that the scope of the climate policy increased with the size of the municipality.

Networking helps

Large municipalities appear to be better at collecting and using detailed knowledge. They also have more people available to work on the subject matter, to maintain a relevant network, and to exchange knowledge. The active municipalities are also involved in a variety of networks, ranging from EU projects to urban networks and inter-municipal collaborations. One of the advantages of the networking is that joint adaptation activities can take place that would be too expensive for an individual municipality.

Enthusiasm is an important factor

Another determining factor is the presence of a local 'enthusiast' within the municipal organisation. A councillor for the environment with a 'green' background appears to be crucial for a comprehensive climate policy and climate adaptation plans. Awareness of the effects of climate change and what actions municipalities can take varied considerably. The extent to which a municipality can (and will) adapt to climate change is closely related to this knowledge.

Government can provide support

The municipalities surveyed indicated that the Ministry for Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment should serve as a facilitator and coordinator to ensure a balanced dissemination of knowledge. National government should also do more to support municipalities in their local adaptation initiatives, for example by providing a toolkit with adaptation options, best practices and other instruments. More coercive legislation would be welcome, as that would enable more adaptation to be "enforced" at a local level, for example with property developers. The municipalities also need practical and relevant information about the effects of climate change on their own region.

The project Analysis of the vulnerability of municipalities was carried out by Maya van den Berg of the CSTM (Centre for Studies in Technology and Sustainable Development) at the University of Twente and was funded by NWO´s VAM (Vulnerability, Adaptation and Mitigation) programme. She is preparing a PhD thesis on this subject under the supervision of professor Frans Cohen and Dr William Lafferty.

About NWO

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) is the principal Dutch science funding body and its mission is to facilitate excellent scientific research in the Netherlands by means of national competition. Each year NWO spends more than 700 million euro on grants for top researchers, on innovative instruments and equipment, and on institutes where top research is performed. NWO funds the research of more than 5300 talented researchers at universities and institutes. Independent experts select proposals by means of a peer review system. NWO facilitates the transfer of knowledge to society.

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last modified on 25 October 2010