United Kingdom
摘要
This chapter examines climate policy efforts across four UK jurisdictions that joined the Under2 Coalition at different timepoints: founding member Wales, early joiner Scotland, and later joiners Northern Ireland and Isle of Man. Operating within the UK’s constitutionally asymmetric devolution framework, these subnational entities demonstrate varied climate leadership trajectories shaped by differential legislative powers, political contexts, and institutional capacities. Wales exhibits normative and cognitive leadership through pioneering an innovative intergenerational approach to climate action despite constitutional entanglement with English law limiting implementation capacity. Scotland, though only an early Under2 Coalition joiner, demonstrates the strongest climate ambition of all nations, driven by independence aspirations and serving as European Under2 Coalition co-chair, though recent difficulties in meeting the GHG emissions reduction target prompted the adoption of carbon budgets. Northern Ireland’s delayed policy-based climate action reflects post-conflict recovery priorities and repeated Assembly suspensions, while Isle of Man exemplifies followership through policy emulation and reliance on external expertise. The findings reveal mixed support for our two propositions regarding founding member advantages, highlighting how constitutional autonomy and political stability prove more decisive than membership timing in determining climate policy profiles.