Enhancing Local Climate Resilience: Insights on Climate Action from the Piedmont Region, Italy

While the impacts of climate change are increasingly apparent and expected to worsen in the near future, effective mitigation and adaptation strategies, plan and actions are becoming compelling. Despite the need for an integrated approach among governance levels, local authorities lie at the forefront of climate action, due to their proximity to the affected communities. However, the potential of this local climate governance is under discussion, as its efficacy is still unclear. This study focuses on the municipalities in the Piedmont region (Italy) and investigates how these municipalities tackle climate change within the consolidated framework of the Covenant of Mayors. The assessment is based on a qualitative-quantitative analysis, owing to official documents and expert surveys. The results show that mitigation is rather consolidated, but it often relies on the willingness of private actors to act, hence pushing the achievement of climate targets beyond the direct control of the municipal authority. Furthermore, the study reveals a significant underdevelopment in terms of adaptation; though a certain attention for ecosystem services and wellbeing emerges, the ability to effectively act appears limited. Overall, the results hint at the inherent complexity of local climate governance, especially for municipalities, that suffer from limited funds and resources, as well as internal political instability. Despite the difficulties structured in the socio-political context, we argue that local partnerships connecting different levels of governance and incorporating private actors and communities in the planning and implementation system can strengthen local resilience against global challenges and foster the sustainability of local communities.