Abstract
With the growing awareness of climate change, cities have increasingly become the focus of energy policy, as they are not only considered the main originators of global climate change but particularly places where innovations toward low carbon transitions take place. Notably in the European context, municipal policies are embedded in a dense structure of multilevel governance arrangements establishing a unique political opportunity structure of energy and climate policy. This chapter gives, firstly, a general overview of the role of cities in the development of the energy sector in Europe. Secondly, it concentrates on their current position in European energy and climate policy and distinguishes three forms of governance: vertical governance, horizontal governance, and an integrated type of governance that conflates the vertical and the horizontal dimension. Thirdly, the chapter pays closer attention to a specific organization of the latter type, the Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy. Finally, it provides an outlook of the role of cities in European energy governance, particularly in the context of the European Union’s Fit for 55 package.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Anne Hofmeister for a thorough review and helpful comments on the first draft of the chapter. Funding by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Kopernikus-Projekt ENavi (FKZ 03SFK4P0) and the Kopernikus-Projekt Ariadne (FKZ 03SFK5LO)) is gratefully acknowledged.
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Kemmerzell, J. (2022). Cities in European Energy and Climate Governance. In: Knodt, M., Kemmerzell, J. (eds) Handbook of Energy Governance in Europe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43250-8_69
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43250-8_69
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