Key takeaways

• Local authorities issue a broad range of permits (like building, environmental, transport, etc) and are often responsible for enforcing several national emission and energy standards. By strictly enforcing these standards, local authorities ensure that the envisioned impact of these instruments is realised. Besides enforcing national standards, local authorities sometimes can include specific requirements in their local permits to enforce sustainable consumption and production and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Local authorities have the instruments to include specific requirements for greenhouse gas emissions in local permits and regulations. On the one hand, their potential is often not fully exploited due to the lack of resources and political support on the local level. On the other hand, local authorities are often bound by national standards and need to exploit other instruments – such as voluntary agreements and financial incentives- to achieve more ambitious targets.