A role for local government in global environmental governance and transnational environmental law from a subsidiarity perspective
Abstract
This article advances a conceptual view of the role of local government in
global environmental governance (‘GEG’) and the system of transnational
environmental law (‘TEL’). The underlying hypothesis is that a deeper
understanding of the role of local governments (global cities and smaller
local authorities) is expedient as it has the potential to curb some recurring
GEG failures and contribute towards improvements in the pursuit of the
objectives of TEL. The Merton Rule in the United Kingdom is singled out
to exemplify the potential of local government in the pursuit of shared transboundary
and global environmental ideals. The Merton Rule refers to a
progressive prescriptive local planning policy that requires new buildings
to generate at least ten per cent of their energy needs from on-site renewable
energy equipment. The broader effect that the Merton Rule has had and the
understated emphasis on inter-actor support to be found in the literature on
subsidiarity, are combined in three final observations: a) the notion of ‘think
global, act local’ is challenged; b) the individual and joint potential and the
capacity of cities and other forms of local government must be unlocked
through consistent inter-actor support in the ‘new’ global context; and c) the
role of local governments in GEG and TEL does not point in only one
direction.
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