Abstract
Climate change poses substantial challenges for the effective implementation of counter-measures. Carbon emission reduction and climate impacts adaptation require actions from the international level to the local level in terms of the geographic scale and the level of government Here the implementation theory poses questions regarding the implementation of meta-policies, the effectiveness of top-down and bottom-up approaches, and coordination, cooperation, and consistency between different levels of governments. Inquiries on cross-sectoral coordination follow these questions as climate actions affect various economic and social activities, which cannot be categorized merely into one sector. This study examines local climate action planning and implementation of national carbon reduction goals in Japan, focusing on the transportation and land use sector. It analyzes the responses to two original surveys on approximately 100 local governments, in addition to the report prepared for the Ministry of Environment. The first original survey was sent to a unit that prepares local action plans. The second survey was sent to one of the transportation-related units, which is considered most relevant to climate action planning by each local government. The initial analysis indicates (a) lack of clear concrete instructions for effective local actions, (b) lack of funding for implementation, and (c) lack of coordination at the local government between the sections at the local government, which at least partially derives from the siloization at the national level. As a result, while most local governments prepare local action plans to meet procedural requirements, the efficacy of implemented actions remains unclear.
Author Information
Hiroyuki Iseki, University of Maryland, College Park, United States
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