Spatial planning at the regional and sub-regional scale can influence the location and scale of new development and, hence, can help mitigate the challenges of climate change that lack of global involvement proposes. In an ideal world where the U.S came back on board the Paris Agreement accord, spatial planning could help in the moving towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient society by encouraging consideration of the complex relationships between changes in land use patterns and...
Spatial planning at the regional and sub-regional scale can influence the location and scale of new development and, hence, can help mitigate the challenges of climate change that lack of global involvement proposes. In an ideal world where the U.S came back on board the Paris Agreement accord, spatial planning could help in the moving towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient society by encouraging consideration of the complex relationships between changes in land use patterns and activities, their associated greenhouse gas emissions and their vulnerability to climate change impacts. Essentially, a shift towards collaborative planning for political leaders is one solution for immediate mitigation against climate change. If those with authority and power treated the processes of strategic planning as a form of social power and political strategy, opportunities may be created for substantial power struggles over the differing underlying value systems and aspirations of protagonists.
Overall, the point emphasized is that a more collaborative approach for important decisions, such as the mitigation of climate change, should be taken seriously into consideration. It is certainly important to appreciate how the strong steer of central Government is exercised. However, this shouldn’t lead people to neglect the ideas or opinions that local and regional actors have, but rather aim to meld state theory with a greater sensitivity to strategies to mitigate climate change.
