LIST OF PANELS

Climate change mitigation policy is increasingly focused on achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. Instead of placing the emphasis on emissions reduction as a percentage of current levels, net zero (or ‘carbon neutrality’, as the two concepts are often used interchangeably) implies a shift in thinking, towards carbon budgeting with the aim of keeping the global average temperature rise within what are considered to be ‘safe’ limits usually linked to the 2015 Paris Agreement. In the Paris Agreement, 197 signatories (countries) expressed a commitment to limit global warming to well under 2 degrees Celsius, and preferably under 1.5 degrees. Since 2015, various countries, regions and cities across the world have made ambitious and high-profile commitments to achieving net zero, with pledges covering nearly two thirds of global carbon emissions.

However, credible pathways towards delivering on the ambitions are lacking. For example, in July 2022, the High Court ruled that the UK’s flagship Net Zero Strategy was unlawful as it did not provide sufficiently clear evidence on how the target will be achieved. More recently, pioneer city Copenhagen’s failure of meeting its 2025 target shed light on the difficulties involved in translating targets into policy, and actually implementing net zero transformations, at the sub-national scale.

To date, there is also little research on the politics and impact of the changing discourse on climate change mitigation within the broader context of sustainability, towards a distinct focus on achieving net-zero emissions. This panel will provide space to critically examine the drivers, processes, and implications of this shift for climate politics, policy, and governance. We especially welcome empirical and/or explanatory studies that feature a clear analytical basis and contribute to theoretical debates or offer policy advice. Papers may speak to any of the following three themes (see 'Call for papers' section for more detail):

1) Policy-making for net zero

2) The effects of changing priorities, framing, and targets on sustainability

3) Mainstreaming net zero in cities and regions

With climate change policy being increasingly focused on achieving net zero emissions, this panel will provide space to critically examine the drivers, processes, and implications of this shift for climate politics, policy, and governance. We especially welcome empirical and/or explanatory studies that feature a clear analytical basis and contribute to theoretical debates or offer policy advice. Papers may speak to any of the following three themes (or indeed which may lay outside of these themes, but which are related):

1) Policy-making for net zero: the case of net zero furthers several avenues for research in public policy. Among others, these include the role of transnational actors in agenda setting, agenda diffusion across space and time, the role of ex ante studies in the policy process, whether and how governments consider uncertainty in policy-making, the scope for and extent of policy learning within and across polities in a polycentric context, the (mixes of) policy instruments for long-term planning, the politics of implementation, and approaches to policy evaluation. Under this theme, we invite empirical studies that explore these topics from diverse theoretical, methodological, and spatial perspectives in the case of net-zero.

2) The effects of changing priorities, framing, and targets on sustainability:  while the broader concept of ‘sustainability’ incorporates economic and social aspects beyond the environmental aspirations, net-zero is a scientific concept which promotes a narrower and more technocratic approach with a focus on budgeting, measuring and controlling emissions. On the one hand, this shift in priorities can potentially make the goals clearer and the pathways for implementation more focused. Moreover, policy and technology innovation prompted by net-zero targets may also contribute to delivering on other goals. For example, regulation and incentives put in place to reduce energy demand can help addressing energy poverty. On the other hand, the relative neglect of the deeply political nature of the societal transformations required to move towards a decarbonised economy may fuel populist climate-sceptic discourses and movements, jeopardising the delivery of net zero targets in turn. Under this theme, we are interested in receiving contributions that investigate how the change in discourse from sustainability (economic, environmental and social) to net-zero affects governance, policy and implementation.

3) Mainstreaming net zero in cities and regions: climate change governance occurs within and between different political-organisational scales, beyond international bodies and nation states. In fact, cities, regions and trans-national municipal networks have a long history of climate action. While many pioneering cities and regions have declared net-zero targets and formulated ambitious programs, the realisation of such targets is far from straightforward. For example, existing research indicates that places with certain characteristics, such as university cities, may be ahead of others, such as cities or regions whose economy relies on energy-intensive or heavy industry. Moreover, in some cases net zero targets may have been set (or not) for symbolic or political reasons. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that pressure is growing on cities, and sub-national regions, to comply with changing expectations. This in turn creates distinct political, policy and governance dynamics in different places which may not necessarily lead to net zero futures. Finding the appropriate political-organisational scales, and links between, different activities to deliver net zero ambitions may thus require new multi-level, multi-actor governance arrangements. Further, research is also needed for understanding the implications of mainstreaming of net zero in cities on local climate policy. Under this theme, we are interested in receiving contributions that discuss the challenges and opportunities that net zero creates for local, polycentric and/or multi-level governance.