Dynamism and stasis in the climate policies of German cities between 2018 and 2022

Abstract As climate change progresses, significant mitigation and adaptation efforts are needed, including at the local level, and there is a growing literature analysing whether and how cities are taking action. However, few studies have assessed the progress and dynamics of urban climate policies over time. We examine the development of climate mitigation and adaptation at the institutional level in 104 German cities between 2018 and 2022, based on their membership of city networks, the awards and prizes they have received, and the existence, publication year, number of updates, and goals or contents of their climate strategies. We complement these findings with insights from interviews and document analyses in 15 cities. On this basis, we trace general trends in municipal mitigation and adaptation policies, as well as specific changes, dynamics and constants for selected cities and city clusters. We find that both fields of policy are highly dynamic and that there is a general trend towards more comprehensive mitigation and adaptation activities. However, adaptation is still lagging behind mitigation, and some less active cities have not developed during this period, leading to further polarisation between leaders and laggards. We discuss several reasons for these divergent developments, including differences in capacity, city size, location in federal states, and the issue of symbolic politics. We also reflect on the limitations of our approach and consider potential steps for improvement.