Unlikely climate pioneers? Net-zero governance and innovation in ‘left behind’ places

Research on local climate governance is dominated by the epistemologies of large cities and affluent areas, casting less urbanised, structurally disadvantaged, and peripheral localities as ‘laggards’. This mirrors economic-geography narratives that depict ‘left-behind’ areas as politically regressive and institutionally deficient. This article problematises that narrative by theorising peripheral climate leadership and demonstrating its empirical prevalence. It introduces a research strategy for systematically detecting and examining climate strategies and governance leaders in ‘left-behind’ settings. Empirically, analysis of 323 UK local authorities outside Greater London identifies 110 economically disadvantaged non-metropolitan councils, 26 of which rank in the national top decile in at least one climate-policy domain. These results suggest a more variegated geography of climate leadership, shaped by a contingent interplay of economic legacy, political agency, and governance innovation. Recognising these ‘unlikely’ climate pioneers reorients local governance scholarship and positions peripheral areas as pivotal actors in accelerating net-zero transitions. • A research agenda on climate governance in left-behind areas is proposed. • Metro-centric assumptions undervalue climate leadership in left-behind places. • Many disadvantaged local authorities emerge as national climate policy champions. • Climate strategies from left-behind areas offer greater scalability. • Recognising climate leadership in left-behind areas is key for a just transition.