The anchoring effect of Climate Change Acts in contentious political circumstances

Supporting climate policy

The anchoring effect of Climate Change Acts in contentious political circumstances

Supporting climate policy

Project title: The anchoring effect of Climate Change Acts in contentious political circumstances

Funded by: The British Academy

Project duration: January 2025 - December 2026

Project partners: University of Plymouth, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway

University of Plymouth staff:

Professor Ian Bailey

The aim of the research is to examine the policy mechanisms and political processes being used to navigate tensions over the introduction and strengthen of policies to meet the goals of national Climate Change Acts (CCAs).

Project objectives:

Evidence synthesis: The project reviews existing academic and policy literature on CCAs to identify the motivations for their introduction, the main provisions by which they seek to steer the development of climate mitigation policy in the countries in which they are introduced, and the main political considerations shaping their development.
Expert insight: To utilise secondary sources and expert interviews with policymakers, industry representatives, and independent commentators to generate insights into the main political and stakeholder factors driving resistance to strengthening climate policy, and the mechanisms and processes through which policy misalignments are managed for the case study policies.
Evaluative learning and policy insights: By disseminating findings through academic publications, policy reports, and presentations, the project provides insights to policymakers and other external stakeholders on managing political tensions around the introduction and strengthening of policies to achieve national net-zero emissions.

The challenges of climate change and energy transition require governance processes that can drive ambitious and durable policy change. The capacity of climate change acts to achieve this depends on their ability to navigate the political and social divisions that have enshrouded climate policy in recent years.

Professor Ian Bailey
Professor of Environmental Politics

This project critically examines factors influencing the ability of national Climate Change Acts to exert a clear and enduring anchoring effect on the development of climate mitigation policy in countries where action on climate change has become a major flashpoint of political contestation and controversy.

It investigates how the provisions established by CCAs, such as legislated emissions targets, the creation of carbon budgets, and the establishment of government accountability mechanisms (including independent climate advisory bodies), are being utilised to influence the introduction and ambition of other climate policies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in specific sectors and areas of activity.

The research is based on an analysis of case-study climate policies in the United Kingdom and Australia, two countries where political tensions have emerged over the introduction of climate policies to reduce emissions from large industrial sectors, stimulate investment in renewable energy generation, and phase out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

Analysis of documentary sources and expert interviews with policymakers, government officials and key non-government stakeholders is being used to explore sources and causes of disputes over the introduction and strengthening of policies in these areas and ways in which the provisions of CCAs have been used to alleviate tensions over the alignment of sector policies with the requirements of national CCAs.

The project forms the foundation for further collaborative research on the role of anchoring policies in driving climate and energy transitions in a range of other countries, including: Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the United States.