Abstract
The impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly clear and cities around the world are a driving force behind these problems, accounting for over 70% of all greenhouse gas emissions. In recognition of the need to act, over 2300 jurisdictions–including 653 in Canada–have made climate emergency declarations (CEDs). Yet because most have only been made over the past few years, very little research has been completed focused on what cities are doing after making these decisions. Informed by a literature review on CEDs, urban governance, citizen engagement, communication, and place branding, we seek to advance understanding in this important area. To do so, we present a study that centered around two Decision Theatre workshops conducted with climate, energy, and communication professionals (n=12) working for or with local governments in four Canadian cities that have declared CEDs. Workshops were transcribed and analyzed via thematic analysis to identify a series of solutions and challenges facing cities. The top solutions were creating targets/action plans, the importance of collaboration, and sharing information. The top two challenges were the diversity of city staff and getting the message out. The study closes with a discussion of the broader implications of this work, including recommendations for cities, and calls for future research.