Issue 20 – National and County Government Response to Climate Change

Climate change response requires coordination across the different stakeholder categories, and between national and county government institutions. This ensures synergy between national and county government efforts to address climate change. It also minimises duplication and wastage of resources and reduces institutional conflicts. The Climate Change Act (2016) recognises the complementary roles of the national and county governments in climate change affairs. The Act, consequently, recognises that climate change impacts are localised, placing the county governments in a better position to identify and address them. One of the objectives of the Act is, therefore, to “integrate climate change into the exercise of power and functions of all levels of governance, and to enhance cooperative climate change governance between the national government and county governments.” The Act establishes a legal and institutional framework to mainstream climate change at the national and county government levels. This issue focuses on National and County Government response to climate change and highlights contributions from other non-state actors.