The role of intermediary authorities in climate change mitigation: evidence from decentralization indices on Brazilian states

Abstract

The global climate governance system holds nation-states accountable and committed to reduction targets in the emission of greenhouse gases and to other forms of climate mitigation. However, it frames the contribution of states, provinces, Länder, devolved governments, and other intermediary authorities as desirable but voluntary. The role assigned to these regional governments in the contemporary climate arrangement is underexplored by academic research, but deserves a closer look given the signs that acceptable global warming thresholds may have been already exceeded. Building on literature review and documental analysis, this study mobilizes decentralization indices developed by comparative research informed by neoinstitutionalism as proxies to the potential to contribute to mitigation. The result points to the incongruence between this potential and the commitments jointly made by the Brazilian states. This tier of government has constitutional and infra-constitutional responsibilities that would allow them to control the activities most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil, but successive promises to establish state targets for collaboration with the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) have not been fulfilled so far.