The UK Climate Change Committee and Swedish Climate Policy Council, with funding from the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, jointly commissioned the World Resources Institute to undertake an assessment of the role of Climate Councils from around the world with a view to better understanding their impact and the factors behind it, in a range of international contexts.
WRI produced a working paper for discussion at the first meeting of International Climate Councils in May 2021. Findings from WRI’s work, as well as wider research on this topic including Ecologic Institute’s / IDDRI’s review of European Climate Councils, informed an open letter from the International Climate Councils Network (ICCN) at COP26 to Heads of Government, officially launching the Network.
Some of the key messages from the WRI report:
Advisory bodies should be provided with an official, and if appropriate – legal mandate and necessary resources to provide effective advice and or scrutiny on climate action. The roles and responsibilities of the advisory body and Government, and procedures for their engagement should be transparently outlined.
Advisory bodies should apply the latest climate science and robust analytical methods to inform evidence-based advice and assessments.
Advisory bodies should select members with deep technical expertise, who are leaders in their respective fields spanning a range of subject areas most relevant to enabling climate action. Members should enjoy strong public and stakeholder trust and act in an objective capacity.