State Governance: Leadership on Climate Change

• Author: Kirsten H. Engel and Marc L. Miller
• Pages: 441-457

Chapter 29

State Governance: Leadership on Climate

Change

Kirsten H. Engel and Marc L. Miller

Arguably,states and localities are the most plausible governmental

entities for substantial progress toward policies that achieve a more

sustainable society. State and local governments—not the national

government—are the traditional loci of most of the activities that de-

fine a more or less sustainable society. States and localities have a

much larger voice than the national government on issues such as land

use, zoning, taxation and business development, environmental regu-

lations, water policy, transportation policy, public safety, and educa-

tion. And they feel a much larger impact from failures in those areas.

This chapter begins by briefly surveying current statewide efforts at

sustainable development, focusing on a handful of the most promising

state “sustainability councils.” The record here has been largely disap-

pointing, at least as reflected in state reports, critical literature, and

data and other information available on websites.

Only 10 states have governing bodies charged with assessing or en-

hancing sustainability on a statewide basis. The function of six of the

10 sustainability governing bodies is limited to reducing the energy

and environmental impacts of state government operations. Minne-

sota, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington each claim, however, to

address sustainability from the combined environmental, social, and

economic perspective intended by international bodies such as the

Brundtland Commission.

The second part of the chapter takes a more specific view of state

sustainability efforts, looking at state, local, and regional initia-

tives on climate change policy—perhaps the most interesting area

of state leadership on issues related to sustainability. Climate

change may be the quintessential challenge to sustainability. The

threat of pervasive and at times rapid change highlights assumptions

and ambiguities about what aspects of the environment and culture

should or can be sustained.

441

At first glance climate change would appear to be a quintessentially

national, if not multinational and indeed a worldwide problem. Weas-

sess the somewhat surprising and counterintuitive efforts on climate

policy in some states.1One of the classic metaphors celebrating state-

level policymaking and authority in the United States is the idea that

the states serve as laboratories for social and economic policy.2The

laboratory metaphor invites more than autonomy; it suggests a spirit

of experimentation.

The final section of this chapter suggests ways in which sustain-

ability efforts might help to develop and enhance the elements that

would make the laboratory metaphor more meaningful. In particular,

we discuss the importance of research, data, and publication to the lab-

oratory or “scientific” model for policy development.

The Importance of State-Level Activities to Sustainability

While policies and developments at the national and international

levels are important to sustainable development, today states are at the

vanguard of developments that are of great importance for achieving a

sustainable society.There is an almost total overlap between the major

topics of sustainability discourse and the traditional functions of states

in areas such as environmental protection, health, education, public

safety, economic development, water policy, the provision or regula-

tion of various natural monopolies, and social and public goods.

States also continue to serve as policy innovators in our federal sys-

tem. The uncertainties and variation involved in seeking a sustain-

able society (and even our conceptions of sustainability) counsel in

favor of variation and experimentation. It is in the states where ex-

perimentation takes place—in, for example, environment, educa-

tion, and health care.

Environment

Despite the dominance of the federal government in establishing

minimum standards for air, water, solid waste, and pesticide use,

many vexing environmental problems lie disproportionately in areas

that federal law leaves to state control, or for which the federal govern-

ment is taking a passive stance and at least some states are taking an

aggressive stance.

Climate change is Exhibit A for state leadership, as many states and

localities move forward aggressively to reduce greenhouse gas emis-

442 AGENDA FOR A SUSTAINABLE AMERICA