Rebellious cities: on the march against climate change

Through city diplomacy, local activism has a global impact. The considerable rise of cities’ initiatives in recent decades has resulted in the growing number of informal arrangements that emphasize the multilateral hybrid structure of the international climate regime. The less hierarchical code of conduct, evolving from the bottom-up participation in climate change governance, legitimizes some of the autonomous activities relating specifically to reducing greenhouse gases, climate change mitigation, and decarbonization. The inadequacy of the central governments’ action to fulfil the international commitments influences the cities’ involvement in the international climate change agenda and nurture the emerging phenomenon of hybrid multilateralism. At the same time, hybrid multilateralism unlocks cities the possibilities of international exposure. The informal channels are critical for the cities to share common interests, act unilaterally against climate change, and follow the responsibilities steam from the international climate arrangements. The question remains, does the frustration from the central government´s inaction encourage the cities to take action and join the international climate pledges. Do they seek support from the established trans-municipal networks? Unlike many other studies, this paper uses a quantitative methodology and a cross-sectional analysis to reveal which cities under which circumstances are more willing to join the transnational climate activism. The objective of this paper aims to uncover the rationale of the autonomous actions of cities related to the climate change battle in different parts of the world.