Why Local Climate Action Needs Smarter Stakeholder Alliances

Cities are at the heart of delivering the Paris Agreement’s climate goals, but the way they build stakeholder relationships makes all the difference. Most research misses the public sector’s unique challenges—this new study looks at how the type of stakeholder ties can tip the scales between bold, comprehensive climate policies and smaller, incremental steps.

The Relational Dynamics Behind Policy Choices

Analyzing data from sustainability managers in 200 U.S. cities, the research reveals: equality-matching relationships empower cities to adopt ambitious, comprehensive sustainability policies; market-pricing and authority-ranking ties tend to hold cities back; communal-sharing relationships encourage both big and small climate moves. Simply put, which alliances city leaders cultivate determines how far and fast they go in their climate strategy.

Unlocking Ambitious Climate Action—Together

The big takeaway for policymakers and business leaders: engaging stakeholders isn’t enough—understanding the relational dynamics that drive real change is key. Building the right alliances means cities can move from climate talk to climate action. As global deadlines approach, it’s time to focus on relationship-building strategies that accelerate impactful policy adoption and help us meet the Paris targets.