A Patchwork of Climate Policies that Reflect Subnational Jurisdiction

Abstract

The United Nations introduced the Paris Agreement in 2015 aimed at reducing emissions globally.  Signatories to the Agreement are responsible for amending their domestic climate policies and implementing binding emission targets.  Federations confront several challenges when adopting such policies since jurisdiction is shared between orders of government.  This paper explores why Canadian and American federal governance structures constrain the implementation of national climate policies following the Paris Agreement.  Despite both countries having ratified the Agreement, climate action in Canada and the US is enacted in a patchwork fashion that reflects subnational jurisdiction.  The paper begins by assessing the Paris Agreement and the challenges federations confront when adopting climate legislation.  The following section examines the Canadian and American federations separately to identify the factors that inhibit a coordinated response to reducing national emissions post-2015.  The paper concludes by exploring strategies to advance climate action on a subnational basis.