Local governments and climate inequality: policy responses, institutional capacity and citizen agency

Cities are increasingly responsible for translating global climate commitments into concrete policies, yet local governments differ considerably in their capacity to identify environmental inequalities, prioritize vulnerable territories and implement effective responses. Climate adaptation therefore raises questions that extend beyond environmental policy and concern the institutional, political and social capacities of local governments.
This panel examines how local governments respond to climate inequality and how these responses interact with territorial vulnerability and citizen agency. It focuses on three interrelated dimensions. First, the capacity of local governments to identify and incorporate socio-spatial inequalities into climate diagnoses and policy priorities. Second, the design and implementation of local climate policies, including policy coherence, institutional capacity, coordination, participation and recognition of vulnerable groups and territories. Third, citizen responses to environmental stress and public intervention, including perceptions of policy effectiveness, participation, adaptation practices and collective agency.
The panel welcomes comparative and single-case studies examining local climate governance, policy implementation, institutional capacity and citizen responses. Particular interest is given to contributions exploring why similar climate challenges produce different policy responses and distributive outcomes in different local contexts, and to studies addressing the mechanisms through which local policies may reduce, reproduce or generate socio-environmental inequalities.
The panel seeks to advance comparative research on the role of local governments in addressing climate inequality and to identify the institutional and political conditions associated with more equitable forms of urban climate adaptation.