Effective climate action needs effective democratic institutions
As we mark another World Environment Day, one truth remains clear: addressing climate change requires not just ambitious targets, but robust democratic oversight to ensure they're met.
Parliaments—as people's representatives—must play a central role in the climate governance architecture established under the Paris Agreement. The IPCC‘s Sixth Assessment Report backs this approach, emphasising that "effective climate governance is enabled by inclusive decision processes, allocation of appropriate resources, and institutional review", which parliaments are uniquely placed to deliver, and that "consideration of climate justice can facilitate shifting development pathways towards sustainability."
Democratic oversight makes climate action work
The increasingly ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that the Paris Agreement requires countries to submit every five years aren't self-implementing. They require parliamentary oversight to ensure:
- Science-based ambition
- Democratic viability
- Effective implementation
When parliaments take an active role in climate governance, they have an opportunity to craft inclusive political settlements around complex trade-offs. These settlements, if informed by principles of climate justice and responsive to citizens' needs, guarantee the long-term political feasibility of ambitious climate action. As a result, they also provide the legal certainty that businesses need to invest in the net-zero transition.
There is a correlation between higher quality democratic governance and greater climate ambition (see V-Dem Institute’s policy brief on this at pb_31.pdf). But also, increasing polarisation around climate action—whether exploited or driven by illiberal forces—underscores that parliaments must enhance their role in domestic climate governance by building science-based, inclusive political consensus on climate action pathways.
A critical moment: NDC.3 and COP30
As countries prepare their Third Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP30 in November, parliaments have a critical opportunity to:
- Assess the implementation of previous commitments
- Identify design and implementation weaknesses
- Ensure new pledges are more ambitious and inclusive
These oversight exercises can drive inclusive, fact-based climate action by opening civic space to civil society organisations, independent experts, and progressive businesses whose resources are indispensable.
Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) is partnering with GLOBE Legislators as the lead convener and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), E3G and the NDC Partnership to deliver a Parliamentary Roundtable on NDCs.3 in Berlin on 10th June, on the eve of the Global NDC Conference hosted by Germany.
At this forum, the Speaker of the Maldives' Majlis and the Chair of Zambia's National Assembly Caucus on Post-Legislative Scrutiny will showcase their WFD-supported work on climate legislation oversight. This collaboration has enabled local CSO partners and experts to participate in legislative review, with findings conveyed to governments to inform NDC.3 preparation.
Parliament's representative function makes it the ultimate guarantor of climate justice in domestic planning. By strengthening parliaments' oversight capacity and facilitating closer collaboration with civil society, WFD is helping transform the political economy around democratic climate action—a precondition for meeting the Paris Agreement's objectives.
This article was originally published on LinkedIn
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Parliamentary oversight: The key to effective climate action
Parliamentary oversight: The key to effective climate action
Effective climate action needs effective democratic institutions
As we mark another World Environment Day, one truth remains clear: addressing climate change requires not just ambitious targets, but robust democratic oversight to ensure they're met.
Parliaments—as people's representatives—must play a central role in the climate governance architecture established under the Paris Agreement. The IPCC‘s Sixth Assessment Report backs this approach, emphasising that "effective climate governance is enabled by inclusive decision processes, allocation of appropriate resources, and institutional review", which parliaments are uniquely placed to deliver, and that "consideration of climate justice can facilitate shifting development pathways towards sustainability."
Democratic oversight makes climate action work
The increasingly ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that the Paris Agreement requires countries to submit every five years aren't self-implementing. They require parliamentary oversight to ensure:
When parliaments take an active role in climate governance, they have an opportunity to craft inclusive political settlements around complex trade-offs. These settlements, if informed by principles of climate justice and responsive to citizens' needs, guarantee the long-term political feasibility of ambitious climate action. As a result, they also provide the legal certainty that businesses need to invest in the net-zero transition.
There is a correlation between higher quality democratic governance and greater climate ambition (see V-Dem Institute’s policy brief on this at pb_31.pdf). But also, increasing polarisation around climate action—whether exploited or driven by illiberal forces—underscores that parliaments must enhance their role in domestic climate governance by building science-based, inclusive political consensus on climate action pathways.
A critical moment: NDC.3 and COP30
As countries prepare their Third Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of COP30 in November, parliaments have a critical opportunity to:
These oversight exercises can drive inclusive, fact-based climate action by opening civic space to civil society organisations, independent experts, and progressive businesses whose resources are indispensable.
Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) is partnering with GLOBE Legislators as the lead convener and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), E3G and the NDC Partnership to deliver a Parliamentary Roundtable on NDCs.3 in Berlin on 10th June, on the eve of the Global NDC Conference hosted by Germany.
At this forum, the Speaker of the Maldives' Majlis and the Chair of Zambia's National Assembly Caucus on Post-Legislative Scrutiny will showcase their WFD-supported work on climate legislation oversight. This collaboration has enabled local CSO partners and experts to participate in legislative review, with findings conveyed to governments to inform NDC.3 preparation.
Parliament's representative function makes it the ultimate guarantor of climate justice in domestic planning. By strengthening parliaments' oversight capacity and facilitating closer collaboration with civil society, WFD is helping transform the political economy around democratic climate action—a precondition for meeting the Paris Agreement's objectives.
This article was originally published on LinkedIn
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