In an age of an ever-growing web of formal and informal rules, rule-making systems and actor networks at all levels of governance, understanding the (changing) nature of the political authority of actors involved in steering efforts toward preventing, mitigating and adapting to environmental change is of central concern. This panel sets out to discuss the influence, roles and responsibilities of non-state actors, the way in which authority is granted to these agents, how they exercise it and the implications for how we understand power and authority. Non-state actors examined here include large and small companies, UN secretariats and NGOs.

Participants

• Paul Wapner (Chair)
• Markus Lederer (Discussant)

Papers

• Bulkeley: A New Politics? Climate Change and the Practice of Authority Beyond the State
• Okereke: Governing Low-Carbon Development in Africa
• Schroeder and Burch: Harnessing the Power of the Invisible Majority: Early Insights from London and Metro Vancouver on the Role of Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses in Climate Change Mitigation
• Jinnah: Marketing Linkages: Secretariat Governance of the Climate-Biodiversity Interface
• Schroeder and McDermott: The Role of NGOs in Designing the UN Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation’s (REDD) Social and Environmental Safeguards