Enhancing local governance for climate action: A guiding conceptual framework

· Novel conceptual framework guides effective climate policy implementation · Comprehensive approach to boost climate action from local Governance · Analyzes 3 climate action drivers: policy, capacity building, psychosocial engagement · Study emphasizes synergies between climate and health policies for enhanced impact · Practical framework for healthy climate policy formulation and advancement This paper addresses the climate governance in order to guide and boost integrated solutions while implementing solutions for both the climate and the health crises. Despite the proliferation of climate emergency declarations by local governments, there is a growing concern regarding their limited impact on real climate action. In addition, a great number of climate plans and strategies are in place, while little attention is devoted on how to assess and boost implementation and capacities to put them into practice. To address these gaps, this paper presents a conceptual framework to guide local governments on the effective implementation and promotion of climate policies. The framework has been guided by a comprehensive literature review and in-depth interviews with policy makers and technical staff of in Spain. The resulting framework represents and innovative approach that incorporate three distinct “factors” — climate strategic decisions, capacity building and psychosocial involvement—, which have been further divided into 18 determinants and 53 corresponding indicators. The development of this framework serves two primary purposes. Firstly, it aims to provide a comprehensive approach to explore the potential opportunities inherent in local governance for effectively driving climate policies. Secondly, it seeks to serve as a guiding tool for local governments in formulating and advancing their climate policies by utilizing the factors, determinants, and indicators incorporated within the conceptual framework. Lastly, the integration of the health perspective within this framework facilitates the identification and harnessing of synergies and benefits that can arise from the intersection of climate and health policies, emphasizing the importance of not neglecting this crucial aspect.