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Impacts and uncertainties arising from global warming represent the greatest challenge for planning in Rio Grande do Sul. The state government’s response is composed of the Policy on Climate Change and the goals of the Race to Zero campaign. We emphasize in this essay the low effectiveness of these public policies in the state, indicated by a severe fiscal crisis, as well as the maintenance of the state-owned coal mining company. Our objective is to propose the concept of polycentric governance, conceived by Elinor Ostrom and colleagues to interpret the multiple decision centers in the Rio Pardo Valley. We argue that these endogenous climate adaptation initiatives outline a collectively planned future, as opposed to the traditional top-down planning depending on the state budget. We emphasize that the initiatives in this region correspond to the decentralized and engagement approach envisaged by the Race to Zero campaign, not on merit, but despite the absence of the state government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990s, the state administration of Rio Grande do Sul has established diversification of the energy matrix as a priority. Over two decades, this has stimulated a socio-technical transition towards greater sustainability that prioritizes renewable sources. Despite posing technical challenges and new supply security risks, local energy production has started, with continuous innovation. In order to interpret these changes, this essay applies the Frank Geels' multilevel approach, focusing on the analysis of the scale of investments in energy generation within innovation niches. Scale is relevant as large projects are not neutral regarding their impact on the territory. Data collection was performed between 2015/17 in the Guaíba Hydrographic Region, where economic agents have autonomously and spontaneously established diversified distributed generation while maintaining the local decision-making power over capital flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay entails an analysis about the social conflict established over the choices for California's future. In November 2010 citizens chose through election process to establish mitigation and adaptation to climate change as a regional development strategy, and this implies higher costs. Few regional development strategies have experienced such an engaged endorsement by the people. We present a description of the process, and review its main actors, objectives, strategies and results. Based on this experience, we seek to provide an analysis about key elements for the quality of civic participation. From the attitudes taken by the private sector in California, it's possible to conclude that there is no support to arguments often present in the headlines, that climate change is a non-tariff barrier from the industrialized North to prevent the development of the South, or that a cap-and-trade system represents a strategy for business as usual. From the experience of California, we support the argument that mitigation and adaptation to climate change will provide structural changes - in pricing - for the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]