Learning from non-pioneering municipalities: Inclusive climate governance and the mobilization of ‘unlikely’ mitigation potential

Royal Geographical Society and Institute of British Geographers (RGS-IBG) Annual International Conference, RGS and Imperial College London, 01–04 September 2026

Scientific discussion about local climate governance has taken particular account of so-called pioneering or leading municipalities, even though discourse has recently widened its focus to include unlikely and peripheral leadership. This talk widened that focus further by including the complementary perspective of what I call ‘non-pioneering’ municipalities. It gave an overview of ten case studies of such municipalities in Germany and Belgium, presented the methodological approach with which these were identified, and gave insights into major findings. The talk formed part of a session on ‘The ‘Unlikely’ Geography of Climate Leadership and Innovation’, convened by Oleg Golubchikov, Wolfgang Haupt, and Sina Shahab.

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