Building Capacity for Subnational Climate Action

This project aims to train local government officials on how to fight climate change by measuring local emissions, developing plans to reduce them, and connecting these actions to their overall goals for serving their communities. It emphasizes fairness, collaboration, and using science to make informed decisions.

As COP28 showed at its Local Climate Action Summit, “local leaders play [a critical role] in reducing emissions, addressing climate risk, and supercharging national efforts to move further and faster on climate progress.” To accomplish this goal in the American context, we need high-value “bootcamps” to build capacity, develop the workforce, build a collective network of action, and support the emerging sustainability market in our democratic republic. This project recognizes that reality, seeking to accelerate and expand climate action by training municipal, county, and other sub-state government actors in best practices for greenhouse gas mitigation. Grounded in ethics of love of home, fair treatment and equal involvement, and science-based assessment, we will train local government officials how to assess local greenhouse gas emissions, understand emissions at scale, effect climate action through policy, programs, partnerships, and other means, and connect them to their mandates and strategic goals for service.