A guide to assessing the political economy of domestic climate change governance
Despite clear scientific evidence that swift and ambitious climate action is necessary at the national level, many countries, particularly those with high emissions and GDP, are failing to implement policies to curb their climate impact. Even with high incomes, access to technology, policy expertise, and capacity to adapt these countries face a massive roadblock to avoiding the human suffering and immense economic, social, and ecological costs that will result from unchecked climate change – political will. This working paper provides guidance and a methodology for decision-makers, civil society, and donors to assess the political and governance challenges that different climate actions are likely to encounter at the national level. With these insights, they can focus on the best approaches for enacting ambitious policies that provide visible benefits and are hard to overturn.
