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 degrees 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. This article is categorized under: Policy and Governance > Multilevel and Transnational Climate Change Governance
1.Deutsch Inst Entwicklungspolit, Environm Governance, Bonn, Germany 2.York Univ, Fac Liberal Arts & Profess Studies, Dept Philosophy, Toronto, ON, Canada 3.Univ Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland 4.Ctr Poverty Anal, Colombo, Sri Lanka 5.Newcastle Univ, Sch Geog Polit & Sociol, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England 6.Univ West Indies, Sir Arthur Lewis Inst Social Econ Studies, St Augustine, Trinid & Tobago 7.Univ Potsdam, Fac Econ & Social Sci, Potsdam, Germany 8.Pontificia Univ Catolica Peru, Lima, Peru 9.Boston Univ, Frederick S Pardee Sch Global Studies, Boston, MA 02215 USA 10.Deutsch Inst Entwicklungspolit, Bonn, Germany 11.Fdn Avina, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina 12.Vrije Univ Amsterdam, Inst Environm Studies IVM, Amsterdam, Netherlands 13.Univ Oxford, Blavatnik Sch Govt, Oxford, Oxon, England 14.Wuppertal Inst Climate, Environm & Energy Int Climate Policy Res Unit, Wuppertal, Germany 15.Inst Adv Sustainablil Studies eV, Potsdam, Germany 16.GIZ Mexico, Mexico City, DF, Mexico 17.Adelphi, Berlin, Germany 18.Univ Delhi, Kamala Nehru Coll, New Delhi, India 19.Grad Inst Int & Dev Studies, Ctr Int Environm Studies, Geneva, Switzerland 20.Inst Adv Sustainabil Studies eV, Potsdam, Germany 21.Karatina Univ, Sch Nat Resources & Environm Studies, Karatina, Kenya
Recommended Citation:
Chan, Sander,Boran, Idil,van Asselt, Harro,et al. Promises and risks of nonstate action in climate and sustainability governance[J]. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-CLIMATE CHANGE,2019-01-01,10(3)