Download Example Policy Essay 3

MEMO
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Todd Stern, U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change, and Mayor Ralph
Becker, President of the National League of Cities
Student 3, Policy Advisor for the National League of Cities
April 22, 2015
Expanding U.S. Local Government Participation in Global Climate
Governance Through Partnership with National League of Cities
The Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change (“the Office”) should partner with
the National League of Cities (“the League”) to foster communication with U.S. local
governments and to facilitate their involvement in international climate governance.
Partnering would help the Office communicate messages to municipalities more
directly and better understand municipal climate concerns. This partnership should
additionally consist of three forms of active, municipal involvement:
1. The Office should hold a yearly climate change summit in Washington
D.C. to engage directly with League members and build their trust.
2. The Office should select a League representative to take part in
international climate negotiations.
3. When an international climate agreement is reached, the League should
collaborate with its members and the Office to draft an action guide that
helps local governments implement the agreement’s terms.
The Office Should Partner with the League to Increase Communication with Local
Governments on Global Climate Governance
The Office should form a partnership with the League to facilitate communication
with local governments about international climate policy. First, the League’s
structure is conducive to streamlined communication between the Office and the
League’s member governments. The League is a well-respected organization, and it
is the largest public voice for collective municipal interests. Its membership
consists of 49 state municipal leagues and over 2,000 individual municipalities. The
League addresses its members regularly through weekly e-mail newsletters, biweekly updates on municipal-federal relations, and regional and national meetings
throughout the year. It produces action guides, tool-kits, and policy reports that are
distributed to members.1 Partnering with the League would open these resources
to the Office to credibly communicate important climate messages to municipalities.
Second, this partnership would help the Office understand the wide range of
municipal interests in climate change policy. The League has a Committee on
Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources that works to understand municipal,
environmental concerns nationwide. Each year the Committee interacts with local
governments to collect, distill, and prioritize the diverse array of municipal interests
1
National League of Cities, http://www.nlc.org/about-nlc/join-nlc (last visited Apr. 21, 2015).
into a single policy resolution on the environment.2 Given that a large part of this
document typically concerns climate change, it serves as an entry point for the
Office to learn about municipal climate concerns. The Office could gain deeper
insight by communicating directly with the Committee and with League members.
The Office Should Hold a Yearly Climate Change Summit
The Office should coordinate a climate change summit in Washington D.C. each year
to more closely engage with League members and to build trust with local officials.
Even with the efficient communication network that the League provides, it is still
helpful to get direct input from municipal officials willing to share what is important
to them. Conversely, League members could ask questions of the Office to better
understand how international climate negotiations will affect their municipalities.
Inviting League members to a D.C. summit would help negate the idea that federal
and international government bodies are exclusive clubs that look down upon
municipal officials—a pervasive thought in small, local governments.
The Office Should Select a League Representative to be a U.S. Climate Negotiator
The best way for the Office to integrate municipal concerns into the process of
negotiating a climate agreement would be to select a League representative to take
part in the negotiations. All League members cannot be involved directly in the
climate talks, but having a League representative among the U.S. delegation would
represent a deeper commitment to integrating local government interests into the
process. It would also continue to build trust between municipal and U.S. officials.
The Office and the League should work together to determine whom would be the
most appropriate League representative. But given the Office’s control over the
negotiation process, they should have the final word in selecting a representative.
The League Should Collaborate with Its Members and the Office to Draft an Action
Plan to Implement International Climate Agreements at the Local Level
The League, its members, and the Office should work together after an international
climate agreement is reached to create an action plan that guides local governments
in implementing the agreement’s terms. The League does not have a climate change
action plan in place, and the adoption of a climate agreement—which would
generate widespread publicity and attention—would be the right time to create one.
Local governments do not always know how to act to reduce carbon, and federal
officials do not always know what municipalities can do effectively. A joint action
plan on climate would bridge both gaps. Integrating local governments into the
U.S.’s international climate governance process and empowering them to take action
would result in more effective local climate policy across the country.
2
2015 Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Policy and Resolutions, National League of
Cities, http://www.nlc.org/Documents/Influence%20Federal%20Policy/NMP/
2%20EENR%20Section%20FINAL%20-%202015%20pg%2023-62.pdf (last visited Apr. 21, 2015)