Analyses of the most comprehensive climate policy dataset ever assembled (consisting of 3917 policy instruments adopted between 2000 and 2022 by 43 leading economies, contributing to over three quarters of global emissions) demonstrate that countries with stricter and better-targeted climate policies cut carbon emissions faster.
This major new study published in Nature Communications by researchers in the UK and EU also shows that targeting policies matters (policies aimed at the most polluting sectors — like energy, industry and transport — have the greatest effect. Climate targets strengthen policy impact and the presence of dedicated governmental bodies including ministries and intergovernmental organisations. The cumulative effect of all climate policy portfolios over our study period amounts to 3.1 GtCO2 fewer emissions in 2022 relative to a no-policy counterfactual - substantially less than what’s needed to stay on track for the Paris Agreement goals.

This book provides one of the first comprehensive analyses of the Under2 Coalition examining the climate actions of sub-national governments. It examines climate policy effort among subnational governments participating in the Under2 Coalition (the largest network of subnational governments aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest). Focussing on subnational governments in Canada, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States (five countries that played influential roles in founding and developing the Under2 Coalition) it explores (a) whether Under2 Coalition founding members demonstrate greater climate policy effort compared to early joiners (2015-2016) and later joiners (post-2016), and (b) whether any differences persist over time. This work in this book (i) demonstrates how climate policy effort and leadership dynamics evolve within the Under2 Coalition framework, (ii) provides comparative insights from membership categories within countries and across nations, (iii) offers a replicable methodological template for expanding this research approach to other contexts.
This book is available open access, please find more details here.