One way of reducing carbon emissions is to reduce carbon emissions from consumption. Quantitative information about these emissions helps to better understand the reduction potential. This article aims to provide carbon footprint data for students of the University of Applied Science in Konstanz, Germany. The study includes almost 10% of the University's students. Data on emission patterns was collected via questionnaires and calculated by a web-based carbon calculator. The study analyses personal carbon footprints and, more detailed, carbon emissions from consumption categories heating, electricity, mobility (land travel and aviation) and food. The findings show average students' annual carbon footprint to be10.9t CO2eq and in the same order of magnitude as the German average. While students cause less emissions through heating because of smaller living space per person, they cause significantly more emissions by aviation. Female students tend to have higher emissions from aviation, instead male students have higher emissions from food (due to more meat in their diet). Business students have higher emissions than others, mainly because they are tending to fly more. The student carbon footprint is far above climate protection goals formulated for 2050.

Cities are not affected by global climate policy and the Kyoto Protocol - however many of them engage in voluntary activities. This paper analyses how communities in general and especially the city of Hamburg can contribute to global climate protection in their citypartnerships according to the slogan "think global, act local". Possible activities are in the fields of awareness-raising, capacity-building, exchange of experiences and joint project implementation. A focus is layed on projects according to the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol in north-south citypartnerships. There is a clear potential for reduction of transaction costs in this kind of projects due to the institutional links of the citypartnership. For Hamburg, CDM-potential is high in its partnership with Shanghai. Further possibilities for action are micro-projects with a strong development component in the partnership with Leon (Nicaragua), exchange of experience with the city of Chicago on its emission trading scheme and adaptation activities especially against sea-/riverlevel rise with the cities of Osaka, Dresden and Marseille.

While nation states debate climate policy at an international scale, on a local level, cities across the globe have committed to emission targets and mitigation activities. This study analyses the actual performance of municipal climate action against their targets. Official information material from large cities in Germany was collected and complemented with questionnaires from officials in 40 municipalities. While 77% of cities have adopted emission targets in a voluntary act, and 80% of these cities are engaged in at least basic emission reporting, only a quarter of them are on course to reach their targets. All of these 'successful' cities are situated in Eastern Germany - and their emission reductions can mainly be explained by the industrial decline in the 1990s after the German Reunification. Not a single city in Western Germany is on course to reach its reduction commitment. Cities average mitigation performance is slightly worse than the German average, and the effect of city networks on cities is not very clear. It can be concluded that cities are currently not living up to their ambitions. The practice of urban emission reporting does in many cases not allow for proper quality management of greenhouse gas policies. For a more meaningful contribution to the battle against climate change, cities could follow a double strategy: Firstly they could report emissions regularly and adopt realistic and city-specific targets and action plans based on their emission patterns. Secondly, they could complement their targets with a visionary approach: This would include pilot projects that demonstrate how low carbon cities could look like, as well as a more ambitious target which they would be able to reach - provided that optimal framework conditions for local mitigation activities would be put in place by other policy levels.

Urban areas cause over 70% of direct and indirect CO2-emissions worldwide. To achieve the internationally agreed goal of limiting the global temperature increase to 1.5 to 2 ° C, considerable efforts to reduce emissions in cities are required. Mobilizing significant greenhouse gas reductions in cities is, however, a major challenge due to their very heterogeneous structures and a large number of small and varied emission sources (e.g. traffic, buildings). In addition, the organisational structures of urban emission sources are much more diverse than those of e.g. major industrial point sources. A general challenge for responsible decision-makers and institutions is that they have limited access to investment capital to implement large-scale measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon market mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement can offer new opportunities for the mobilisation of large-scale emission reduction measures and policies. This research project first examined the prevalence and experience of urban reduction projects within the framework of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and Transformative Actions Programs (TAP). Building on this, various conceptual approaches to the implementation of Art. 6 in cities were developed. In order to take appropriate account of the different national structures and framework conditions, a “menu approach” with uniform principles and standards is proposed. In addition, the study examines approaches to determine the additionality of urban mitigation activities and discusses various financing options.

This article examines what may be taken into account, when designing a mechanism of international public finance to support south-north cooperation on domestic climate policies in developing countries. We draw lessons from existing mechanisms of conditional transfers. Experience with conditionality provisions that the World Bank, the IMF, and bilateral donors apply to development assistance is varied. Conditionality provisions applied during the EU enlargement process are generally evaluated more positively, as the shared objective is increased credibility and participation. Clearly defining global emissions reductions as a shared objective could offer similar opportunities for cooperation. We discuss lessons that might be of relevance to the design of cooperative climate policy.

An increasing proportion of greenhouse gas emissions is produced in urban areas in industrializing and developing countries. Recent research shows that per capita emissions in cities like Bangkok, Cape Town or Shanghai have already reached the level of cities like London, New York or Toronto. Large parts of the building stock and service infrastructure in cities in rapidly developing countries is built in the coming decade or two. Decisions taken in this sector today may therefore lock in a high emissions path. Based upon a survey of projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, we find that only about 1% of CDM projects have been submitted by municipalities, mostly in the waste management sector. This low participation is probably due to a lack of technical know how to develop CDM projects and an absence of motivation due to the long project cycle and the limited “visibility” of the projects for the electorate. Projects in the buildings and transport sector are rare, mainly due to heavy methodological challenges. A case study of the city network ICLEI and its experience with cities' participation in the CDM adds insights from the practitioner side. We conclude that CDM reforms may make it easier for municipalities to engage in the CDM, and that new forms of cooperation between municipalities and project developers, potentially facilitated by ICLEI, are required to help to realize the urban CDM potential.

A large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions is produced in urban areas, particularly in high income countries. Cities are also vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and particularly so in developing countries. Therefore, local climate policies for mitigation and adaptation have to play an important role in any effective global climate protection strategy. Based upon a systematic literature review, this article gives a comprehensive overview of motivation and challenges for local climate governance. A large part of the literature focuses on mitigation and cities in industrialized countries. The review also includes the smaller and emerging body of literature on adaptation and cities in developing or industrializing countries. Motivations and challenges we find fall into broad categories like 'economic', 'informational', 'institutional', 'liveability' or 'political/cultural'. We conclude that the mix of motivation and challenges is city-specific, and that the national framework conditions are important. It matters, whether cities engage in mitigation or adaptation policies, whether they are located in developing, industrializing or industrialized countries, and at which stage of climate policy-making cities are. For many cities, cost savings are a primary motivation for local mitigation policies, while perceived vulnerability and a commitment to development is the primary motivator for adaptation policies. The collective action problem of climate protection (also known as 'Tragedy of the Commons') and inappropriate legal frameworks are key barriers to mitigation policies. Challenges for adaptation include financial constraints, and a lack of expertise, cooperation, leadership and political support. Understanding their specific motivation and challenges may support cities in developing appropriate local climate action plans. Furthermore, the understanding of motivation and challenges can inform other policy levels that want to help realize the local climate protection potential.