TY  - JOUR
U1  - Zeitschriftenartikel, wissenschaftlich - begutachtet (reviewed)
A1  - Chan, Sander
A1  - Boran, Idil
A1  - Asselt, Harro von
A1  - Iacobuta, Gabriela
A1  - Niles, Navam
A1  - Rietig, Katharine
A1  - Scobie, Michelle
A1  - Bansard, Jennifer S.
A1  - Delgado Pugley, Deborah
A1  - Delina, Laurence L.
A1  - Eichhorn, Friederike
A1  - Ellinger, Paula
A1  - Enechi, Okechukwu
A1  - Hale, Thomas
A1  - Hermwille, Lukas
A1  - Hickmann, Thomas
A1  - Honegger, Matthias
A1  - Hurtado Epstein, Andrea
A1  - La Hoz Theuer, Stephanie
A1  - Mizo, Robert
A1  - Sun, Yixian
A1  - Toussaint, Patrick
A1  - Wambugu, Geoffrey
T1  - Promises and risks of nonstate action in climate and sustainability governance
N2  - Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement stand as milestone diplomatic achievements. However, immense discrepancies between political commitments and governmental action remain. Combined national climate commitments fall far short of the Paris Agreement's 1.5/2°C targets. Similar political ambition gaps persist across various areas of sustainable development. Many therefore argue that actions by nonstate actors, such as businesses and investors, cities and regions, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), are crucial. These voices have resonated across the United Nations (UN) system, leading to growing recognition, promotion, and mobilization of such actions in ever greater numbers. This article investigates optimistic arguments about nonstate engagement, namely: (a) "the more the better"; (b) "everybody wins"; (c) "everyone does their part"; and (d) "more brings more." However, these optimistic arguments may not be matched in practice due to governance risks. The current emphasis on quantifiable impacts may lead to the under-appreciation of variegated social, economic, and environmental impacts. Claims that everybody stands to benefit may easily be contradicted by outcomes that are not in line with priorities and needs in developing countries. Despite the seeming depoliticization of the role of nonstate actors in implementation, actions may still lead to politically contentious outcomes. Finally, nonstate climate and sustainability actions may not be self-reinforcing but may heavily depend on supporting mechanisms. The article concludes with governance risk-reduction strategies that can be combined to maximize nonstate potential in sustainable and climate-resilient transformations.
T2  - WIREs climate change
VL  - 10
Y1  - 2019
UN  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bsz:wup4-opus-72100
U6  - https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wcc.572
DO  - https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wcc.572
IS  - 3
ER  -